I love it in a variety of preparations, use it occasionally in recipes, and on occasion buy the pods. I bought some recently, thinking of using them in a paste or glaze for “souring”, and was surprised I couldn’t find advices (am I using that correctly?) here on HO.
I got mine in a Mexican market with no label, and took them out of the pods.
I’ll stash some of my non-peer reviewed research here.
This video suggest pods from some regions are sweeter than others, and not suitable for cooking in some cuisines
This one mentions Indian cuisine.
Not sure if you can keep this in the fridge for awhile or not.
This one says “If working with tamarind fruit pods, make sure they’re unripe, which ensures a stronger degree of sourness and less sweetness.” Comments include freezing in ice cube trays.
I bought a block of the paste to make laksa, and I’m thinking of ways to use it in cocktails. I’ve got a mess of torch ginger flower that I need to put to the same use (already made it into limeade and mixed it with vodka and soda to good effect).
Apparently I intend to drink my food from here on in.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot, cooking and eating in northwest England)
5
I usually have tamarind paste in the cupboard for sourness in Asian dishes. And I’ve currently got a jar of tamarind chutney which works on, say, chicken sandwiches.
I have to laugh as I remember my husband’s asking for a tamarindo from a helados cart. The vendor cocked his head and told him that Anglo’s NEVER order sour tamarindos. They’re our favorite!
Decades ago I ordered tamarindo from a shave ice (snow cone) truck in West Tampa (largelyCuban and Puerto Rican populations on that side of town) and having the guy ask this blue eyed the three times if I really wanted that flavor…same thing, he was shocked that an angla would order it! (It was delicious by the way)
