Simple, Homemade Tamarind Paste

Chances are you’ve eaten tamarind at some point in your life, even if you didn’t realize it. It has a unique sour fruity flavor that is used in curries, chutneys, pad Thai and even Worshestershire sauce. I’ve been on a bit of a tamarind bender lately and I cannot stop trying to find new uses for it.

Typically, when cooking with tamarind, you would be using the paste form. If you go online you will see tons of different brands that offer tamarind paste. And that’s great if you find one that you love but for me, I gotta just make it myself. For one, it’s easy. It is only slightly time consuming. Also it’s less costly to make it yourself and you’re going to get tamarind paste in its purest form, without any additives.

So first, start with a block of wet tamarind pulp. It looks like this.

I buy these at an Asian market, but you can order them online as well. Put it in a bowl with enough boiling water to fully submerge it. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes. Then use a potato masher or fork to break it all up. I don’t know why it says seedless, there are always tons of seeds in it. But what are you gonna do?

This next part requires a little bit of elbow grease. Strain the mushed tamarind and water through a fine mesh strainer. Use a wooden spoon to push the pulp through the strainer, removing it from the thick fibers and seeds.

Now you’re going to turn that murky brown water into a paste. Put it in a non-reactive pot and simmer on medium for quite some time, like 30 minutes or more. Keep a lid on that thing though. I didn’t one time and I left the room. When I came back it look like a muddy bomb exploded. Don’t do what I did. Put a lid on it and keep it cracked just a tiny bit to let steam escape.

It will be ready when it is thick, hardly any liquid left in it and very deep brown. It should measure just at a cup or just over.

Store the finished paste in a glass jar and keep it refrigerated for two weeks. I store any unused tamarind paste in the freezer so it’s ready whenever I want Perfect Pad Thai, Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai, Tamarind, Lime and Honey Marinated Skirt Steak or Pineapple and Tamarind Curry Ketchup.