Tamarind is a nutritiously sweet and tart fruit snack right from the tree. But can also be made into this easy delicious sweet and spicy Tamarind Sauce. The tamarind sauce can be used as a dressing for fruit and vegetable salad and other tangy touch to other meals.
Did you know that Tamarind is referred to as monotypic meaning no other species of this fruit can be found? In addition, It is also one of the ingredients in Worcestershire Sauce.
Tamarind Is A Legume?
Tamarind was one of my favorite childhood fruits. The fruit is a brown eggshell textured pod grown on a tree. Some countries refer to it as a legume. When unripe or “green” the flesh is green and very sour.
However, as the Tamarind ripens, the flesh turns a gluey dark brown color and is matured into different degrees of sweetness and tanginess.
Moreover, as typically seen in most legumes, the Tamarind pods encase several inedible black seeds. These seeds were used as Bingo or ” draft games” markers. As children, these were often use in replacement of stones in our catapult.
Tamarind Measles Remedy
As a child, I remembered that the leaves of the tamarind tree were used as a natural remedy for treating measles. The leaves were boiled and used as a topical treatment.
Tamarind Nutrition Value
Not only are Tamarind tasty and adds a sweet tang to meals, but they are good source of good nutrition.
1 cup Tamarind Pulp contains:
287 calories
3.4 g Protein
69 g Sugar
6.1 g Fiber
753 mg Potassium, 136 mg Phosphorus, 110 mg Magnesium, 89 mg Calcium, 17 mcg Folate, 4.2 mg Vitamin C, 3.9 mcg Iron, 0.5 mcg Thiamin, in addition to other vitamins and minerals. [Source: Nutrition Data ]
How To Use Tamarind Sauce
This Sweet and Spicy Tamarind Sauce can be used as:
(1) Salad Dressing
(2) Added to smoothies
(3) Marinade for meats
(4) Drizzle on Fruit Salad
(5) Baking
Hope you will enjoy this Tamarind Sauce recipe. Let me know what you think. Please leave a comment and star rating.
Sweet And Spicy Tamarind Sauce
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Here are the 3 ingredients You Will Need.
Tamarind
Brown Sugar
Habanero Peppers
How To Make An Easy Sweet and Spicy Tamarind Sauce.
Equipment
- Sauce Pan
- Spoon
- Sieve/Strainer
- A Glass Jar
- 1 Bowl
- Stove
Ingredients
- 18 each Tamarind Fruit
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp. Finely Chopped Habanero Pepper
- 4 cups Water
Instructions
- Gently crack the outer shell of each Tamarind pod with your fingers. You will expose the flesh of the tamarind; along the flesh runs a fibrous vein.
- Remove the fibrous vein. In the saucepan, add de-veined tamarind, water, sugar, and finely chopped pieces of habanero peppers.
- Over medium heat, boil tamarind mixture for 10 minutes in an uncovered saucepan.
- Strain the tamarind juice through the sieve. Be sure to use the spoon to remove the remaining pulp left on the sac of the seeds by pressing against the mesh of the sieve.
- Add the tamarind sauce back to the saucepan and continue to cook for another 5 minutes over medium heat or until the sauce fairly thickens. Tamarind is very high in natural pectin and will further thicken as it cools.
- Remove from flame and pour into a clean glass jar and allow to cool at room temperature. Later place in the refrigerator and serve as needed.
Video
Notes
Tamarind Sauce
A form of preservation.
Tamarind Sauce Dressing
A perfect dressing for any fruit and vegetable salad.
Fresh Tamarind
Tamarind can also be found pressed into pulp blocks, concentrated and even in the form of a candy.
I love tamarind also but never tried making sauce out of it! But we use it to add taste into soups. Nice!
Love it. I actually have tamarind pods at home that I don’t know what to do with. trying this!!!
Have never cooked with tamarind! But your recipe has really brought me to the taste! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing these other uses of tamarind. I use tamarind powder to make my own gluten-free Worcestershire sauce. Now you have my mind spinning. Thanks for sharing.
I have also made this substituting green peppers and adding lime juice to make it ZESTY instead of spicy and OMG so good BOTH ways!