Easy Tamarind Date Paste
Tamarind isn’t the prettiest looking item in the produce section, but it sure boasts a major flavor and taste punch! And, I monopolize on it in this easy, versatile, Tamarind Date Paste that can be used as a dip, a spread and even in curries and saute’s!
Sri lankan recipes usually call for quite an exotic list of ingredients – some that are incredibly hard to come by. Even my mom resorts to ordering some of her favorite ingredients from a specialty store in California. I, on the other hand, usually try and make my fusion-type curries with ingredients I can find at any local grocery store. Awhile back, I came across tamarind concentrate at a little South Asian grocery store I frequent. I used it to make some Date and Tamarind Chicken, but, seeing it’s one of those hard-to-find ingredients, I didn’t post a lot of other recipes using it.
I didn’t…but, things change…
Because…
This past weekend I was rummaging through the produce section at Kroger and guess what I ran into?!
Yup – you guessed right!
Tamarind! Fresh ripe Tamarind! In all their pod glory!
Now, tamarind isn’t the prettiest legume-fruit out there. A child in line in front of me took one peek into my grocery cart and proceeded to ask his mom why I had poop in a bag… aaaannnd, I had to smile because at one point in time, I used to think the same thing.
What tamarind lacks in looks, it makes up for in taste, nutrition and versatility in usage. Tamarind is such a palate teaser with it’s sweet, sour, tangy, undertones.
Some people say tamarind tastes like a combo of lemons and apricots, but, I’ve always thought it tasted a bit like dates drizzled with vinegar…which might not sound so appetizing to some, but can be totally addicting to others!
One thing for sure though is that tamarind is a powerhouse of good-for-you stuff. If you are interested, you can read more about it’s benefits here.
I grew up with my mom using tamarind in everything from sauces for “patties” (a Sri Lankan finger food quite like empanadas) to curries, soups, and stews. In fact, at the grocery stores back then, tamarind candy was quite popular too.
The tricky part to enjoying tamarind is getting it free of it’s “shell” and spidery vein inside the shell. Once the gooey interior is separated from the shell and vein, there are seeds in it that I separate through what might seem a bit of a tedious process. I soak the gooey pods in warm water, mash them up (most times with my hands) and then push the water/tamarind mix through a strainer to get that glorious paste.
Today, I have a simple Tamarind Date Paste to share with y’all. This Tamarind Date Paste is slightly seasoned with a bit of chili powder and orange zest and it is something that I use as a base in sauteed dishes as well as in curries and soups (recipes will be shared soon). This Tamarind Date Paste is also delicious as a dip for vadas or samosas. It is also taste-bud titillatingly delicious smeared on baked puff pastry or a bagel or slice of toast or a croissant – with a layer of cream cheese on top! BTW, Happy National Croissant Day to those celebrating!
I am keeping my fingers crossed y’all, too, find tamarind at those grocery stores y’all frequent and get to experience it’s benefits first hand!
[Tweet “Sweet, Spicy, Sour, & Versatile – Tamarind Date Paste! “]
Ingredients
- 12 tamarind pods
- 1.5 cups hot water not boiling, I microwaved mine for about 1.30 minutes
- 1 cup medjool dates pitted
- 1 cup hot water again - not boiling either
- couple pinches salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- pinch of orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Remove the shells of the tamarind pods.
- Then separate the spidery vein from it.
- Add the 1.5 cups of hot water to the peeled tamarind pods and let it sit for about 40 minutes or so.
- Meanwhile, soak the dates in the 1 cup of hot water for 5 minutes
- Then, add the date/water mix into a blender and pulse till a paste is formed (only takes a few seconds)
- When the 40 minutes or so are up, the peeled, gooey, tamarind pods should be softened, so, using your hands or a fork, mash them up well.
- Then, ran the water/tamarind mix through a strain and separate the shells and their "husks" from the tamarind paste.
- Add this paste to a pan over a low flame.
- Then add in the date paste into it, along with the coconut sugar, chili powder, apple cider vinegar and stir for 10 minutes.
- The mixture should darken some.
- Remove from the heat and add in the pinch of orange zest.
- Can be enjoyed as is or stored in an airtight glass jar and used as needed.
Oh my gosh, yes!!! I absolutely adore tamarind, but unfortunately my friends don’t like it haha. I agree, I bet this paste would go really with samosas. Can’t wait to try this!
Great tutorial and pictures! Going to have to try this.
I love tamarind! I can think of dozens of things I’d want to serve this with. It looks absolutely luscious!
Lucky you for finding fresh tamarind, I can get tamarind pulp here in Hungary and always have it in the cupboard, I love the stuff such a unique flavour.
Fresh tamarind..lucky you! The date paste looks so smooth and tempting!
You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen tamarinds in our grocery store. Maybe I just haven’t been looking…but you better believe I’m gonna start looking now! I agree that they might look a little suspect, but the end result is amazing. I’m pretty sure this pasta used as a dipping ‘sauce’ for samosas would be where it’s at! And the little bit of chili powder in there? Heck yeah! My drone is on the way down…please keep an eye out for it! 🙂
Dear Shashi – I ALWAYS learn stuff here, love coming to your site. I have heard of tamarind but knew zilch about it. Now I have been properly educated. Of course now I’ll be on the lookout for tamarind at my grocery store and hope no kid accuses me of buying poop. Ha ha. If that were my Charlie (10), that’s what he would have said for sure. Thanks for a delicious new flavorful spread and an education today. Have a fabulous week my friend! XOXO
I’ve never used fresh tamarind….which only means one thing…I MUST!
I have never used tamarind. I love your step by step recipes, you make it look so easy!
I don’t think I’ve ever used fresh tamarind before! That needs to change!
i feel like you just read my mind! I was about ti make this for an asian dish. So glad you posted it so i know the BEST around! YAY! you genius you! p.s. Bites are waiting. 😉
I never knew anything about Tamarind (or that it even existed) until I started using it in curry recipes a few years ago and now I actually love it!
Whilst on our honeymoon and when visiting Mombasa, Kenya I remember our guide showing us a tree of those Tamarind fruits and I was like “ah, that’s where Tamarind comes from and what it looks like!”
I could try substituting this tamarind date paste instead of the tamarind paste I use in my curry recipes and see the difference in flavours!
It is so ironic as I just saw fresh tamirand the other day in the market as well. I use a lot of tamirand in my Thai dishes and as you know you always need a little sweet, sour, savory and spicy in the mix so your paste will be really handy. Great post Shashi!!! BTW, I have not dropped off the world. Dealing with some IT issues…. Take Care
I always love learning more about Sri Lankan recipes from your blog. This tamarind and date paste reminds me of tamarind and dates chutney my Granny used to make and I love that, so I can tell that I would love this paste too. Thanks for inspiration Shashi, can’t wait to try this paste.
Ohmygoodness, I’ve just come across 3 different delicious recipes on food blogs that all use dates. (Three times the charm?!) I think this is a sign from above that I really need to go out and get some dates so I can make all of em’! I’ve never tried using tamarind before but this looks awesome! I want to try it in curry! :]!
I have tamarind pulp in the fridge and dates in the cupboard, so I will surely be making this soon!
Tamarind is, in my opinion, very underrated despite the magic it imparts to flavour and health. The Chinese cultivate lots of them, but they are infrequently featured in the local cuisine. An exception is Yunnan province, where I was offered a taste test of a pretty yummy tamarind candy made from locally-grown fruit. I loved how passionate people there were about their produce, most of which was unforgettably good!