How to Make Tamarind Paste from Pulp
Tamarind is a popular ingredient used in Thai cooking in many savory dishes as a souring agent. Learn how to make tamarind paste from pulp using blocks of tamarind.
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 7 ounces tamarind paste, half of a tamarind block pulp
- 2 1/4 cups hot water
Instructions
- 1
Boil enough water to have 2-3 cups of hot water. While the water is going, cut the tamarind block in half and place it in a large bowl.
- 2
Pour boiling water over the tamarind pulp in the bowl. Use a heat-safe bowl and a wire rack under the bowl to protect your counter. Soak the tamarind for 15-20 minutes, allowing the pulp to soften and release its flavor.
- 3
Once the water is cool enough to handle, use a fork or your fingers to break the tamarind paste into small pieces. Mesh the paste until soft and the fiber of tamarind pulp and seeds have loosened. You'll get a fibrous sauce like the image below.
- 4
Place a clean glass bowl in the bottom of the strainer, then pour the tamarind puree through a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Doing it in the sink helps with the cleaning-up process. This part tends to get a little messy. Don't wear white clothes and put on your apron! (:
- 5
Next, we'll extract the tamarind into a liquid concentrate by meshing, pushing, rubbing, and squeezing the gooey brown sauce in the fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl at the bottom. Use your fork and your fingers to squeeze every last ounce out. Check the bottom of your strainer. This is where a lot of the paste-like to hide! (:
- 6
Pour the tamarind pulp into glass jars, cover, and leave in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Discard the solids in the strainer. That's it. It's ready for use! You can stop here or take it further to keep the tamarind longer.