If you enjoy sweet and sour flavors, you will love my sweet and tangy Tamarind Syrup! You can use it to make Tamarind Juice, Tamarind Margaritas, cocktails, and Soy Tamarind Sauce.
Tamarind can be bought in pods or compressed in blocks and labeled as "tamarind paste." The paste contains fibers and seeds which need to be separated from the edible paste.
In this Tamarind Syrup recipe, we'll boil the tamarind paste in water and strain it to get to the yummy paste. Then we'll mix the paste with sugar and cook it down to make our delicious tamarind syrup which can be used to make all kinds of delicious tamarind recipes!
Tamarind Syrup Recipe
Step 1: Unwrap the tamarind paste and cut it in half. Rewrap and store one half for later use. Cut the remaining tamarind into chunks, place it in a pot, and cover it with six cups of water.
Step 2: Place three dried limes on a cutting board, and crush with a mallet. The seeds taste bitter, so sort through the pieces of dried limes, and discard the seeds.
Step 3: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat then simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Carefully pour the liquid through a strainer that's placed over a large enough bowl to hold the liquid. Use a spoon or a spatula to push the pulp through the strainer.
Step 5: Scrape the tamarind pulp from the bottom of the strainer, and mix it into the liquid in the bowl.
Step 6: Rinse the pot that was used to boil the tamarind mixture in, then pour the strained liquid back in. Whisk in four cups of sugar.
Step 7: Stir the mixture until it comes to a boil. Reduce the temperature, and simmer for 30 minutes. Pour the tamarind syrup into a large mason jar, and store it in the refrigerator.
How to Serve Tamarind Syrup
Mix three tablespoons of the tamarind concentrate into a glass of ice water, and stir until syrup completely dissolves. Feel free to add more syrup if you prefer. Enjoy!
Another option is to mix the tamarind syrup into soda water or La Croix for a fizzy drink.
Tamarind Syrup is also perfect for cocktails. For example, you can make a Tamarind Whisky Sour by mixing tamarind syrup with bourbon, fresh lime juice. Here's a Tamarind Whisky Sour recipe you can try!
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
The tamarind tree grows long, edible pods. The pods contain seeds that look like shiny, black beads.
The paste that grows around the seeds is used in many countries to make various tamarind dishes.
This includes tamarind paste, syrup, margaritas, candy, and is also used to give stews and other dishes a sour flavor.
You may not realize it, but tamarind is used to make a variety of drinks. In fact, my favorite margarita flavor is "Tamarindo." I also love the tamarindo-flavored Jarritos Mexican soft drink.
In the Middle East, it is used to make a tamarind syrup concentrate that's diluted with ice water to make Tamarind Juice.
- Tamarind gives food a hard to duplicate, distinct tamarind flavor. It can be purchased in a variety of forms.
- Fresh tamarind pods are readily available in most ethnic markets. Many stores carry the dried tamarind pods in the spice section.
- The dried pods need to be rehydrated in warm water. Once softened, the shell and stringy parts are discarded, and the dark paste retained for eating or cooking with.
- You also have the option of purchasing the paste ready to eat. I prefer the paste because it's more convenient to use, and I lack patience!
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📖 Recipe
Sweet and Tangy Tamarind Syrup
Ingredients
- ½ lb. tamarind paste
- 6 cups water
- 3 dried limes (optional)
- 4 cups sugar
Instructions
- Unwrap the tamarind paste and cut it in half. Rewrap and store one half for later use. Cut the remaining tamarind into chunks, place it in a pot, and cover it with six cups of water.
- Place three dried limes on a cutting board, and crush with a mallet. The seeds taste bitter, so sort through the pieces of dried limes, and discard the seeds.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat then simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Carefully pour the liquid through a strainer that's placed over a large enough bowl to hold the liquid. Use a spoon or a spatula to push the pulp through the strainer.
- Scrape the tamarind pulp from the bottom of the strainer, and mix it into the liquid in the bowl.
- Rinse the pot that was used to boil the tamarind mixture in, then pour the strained liquid back in. Whisk in four cups of sugar.
- Stir the mixture until it comes to a boil. Reduce the temperature, and simmer for 30 minutes. Pour the tamarind syrup into a large mason jar, and store it in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Tamarind gives food a hard to duplicate, distinct tamarind flavor. It can be purchased in a variety of forms.
- Fresh tamarind pods are readily available in most ethnic markets. Many stores carry the dried tamarind pods in the spice section.
- The dried pods need to be rehydrated in warm water. Once softened, the shell and stringy parts are discarded, and the dark paste is retained for eating or cooking with.
- You also have the option of purchasing the paste ready to eat. I prefer the paste because it's more convenient to use, and I lack patience!
Vresh says
What's the shelf life?
Hilda Sterner says
I store it in the fridge and it has lasted around 3 months. It could last longer probably, if it doesn't get used within 3 months. Eventually, the sugar will crystalize, so it is better to use it within the 3 month period.