In Thailand Tamarind pulp is used to give a pleasant sour taste to some soups, curries and Pad Thai. Also used to make sweets and refreshing drinks.
Is tamarind used in Thai food?
Tamarind, known in Thai as “makaam”, is one of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine. It is a staple in every Thai kitchen, and it plays a key role in popular dishes such as pad thai and papaya salad.
What does tamarind do in cooking?
In Indian cuisine, tangy tamarind plays many roles. It acts as a preservative, a cooling agent, and a remedy—its paste relieves the itchy mouthfeel that comes from eating tubers like yam and taro.
What is the flavor of tamarind?
The flavor of the tamarind fruit ranges from sweet and sour to tangy and tart. The flavor depends on how ripe the fruit is. The more it ripens, the sweeter it gets. Similar to tart citrus fruit, the flavor will also depend on what the fruit is mixed with.
What dishes can you use tamarind in?
Tamarind recipes
- Tamarind aubergine with black rice, mint & feta.
- Tamarind prawn curry.
- Apple, date & tamarind chutney.
- Tamarind squash & halloumi skewers.
- Nasi lemak.
- Sweet potato & corn cakes with tamarind bacon & avocado.
- Spicy tamarind prawns.
- Seared beef & papaya salad with tamarind soy dressing.
What is an alternative to tamarind paste?
There are two common substitutes for tamarind paste—one is a combination of vinegar and sugar and the other is fresh lime juice. The vinegar-sugar mix works well in dishes like pad thai chicken.
What does Thai tamarind sauce taste like?
The flavors that are common to tamarind sauces are sweet and tart. This is because the tamarind is so strongly sour. Sugar is added to mellow it out, along with other spices that tend to blend into the background.
What are benefits of tamarind?
Tamarind is a rich source of magnesium. It also contains more calcium than many plant foods. The combination of these two minerals, plus weight-bearing exercise, could help prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures. The body requires vitamin D to use calcium.
Is tamarind good for health?
Tamarind is a very heart-friendly fruit. Flavonoids present in tamarind lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol and raise HDL or “good” cholesterol levels, thus preventing the build-up of triglycerides (a type of fat) in the blood. It also has high potassium content which can help keep your blood pressure in check.
Is tamarind a spice or herb?
Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae.
What flavor is similar to tamarind?
Mango Chutney
Mangos have similar flavor notes that resemble tamarind. Therefore, even though they are on the sweeter side, when combined with other flavors they create a nice alternative to tamarind paste.
Why do people love tamarind?
Tamarind has a unique, sweet-sour flavour that makes it popular in sweet and savoury dishes alike. Its flavour has been compared to tangy lemon or lime balanced by sweet caramel notes, or a cross between lemon, apricot and dates. Some varieties of tamarind are sweeter than others, and all become sweeter as they ripen.
What spices go well with tamarind?
**Tamarind pairs well with these spices: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cumin, Fenugreek, Garlic, Ginger, Mustard seeds, and Turmeric.
What is tamarind made of?
Tamarind is a hardwood tree, known scientifically as Tamarindus indica. It’s native to Africa but also grows in India, Pakistan, and many other tropical regions. The tree produces bean-like pods filled with seeds surrounded by a fibrous pulp. The pulp of the young fruit is green and sour.
How do you eat tamarind paste?
Tamarind is not a food that I can be strictly objective about. I love to eat it straight from the pod; I love the deep molasses-colored concentrate stirred into chutney; I love it soaked from frozen pulp and added to sticky-sweet marinades, or spooned into a light, tangy rasam.
Can I use lemon juice instead of tamarind paste?
Lemon juice can also serve as a substitute for tamarind puree. However, it has a distinct taste slightly different from tamarind puree. This type of juice tastes sour, and it’s used to flavor many dishes.
How long does tamarind paste last?
Making tamarind paste is incredibly easy and takes only 15 minutes of hands-on time. It will keep for up 3-4 weeks in the fridge and can be frozen in ice cube trays or plastic freezer bags for 3-4 months.
Can I use brown sauce instead of tamarind?
Still, you’ll need to add fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, dark soy sauce, and rice vinegar to make it taste similar to tamarind paste. With so many extra ingredients, it’s better to go with a simpler substitute without spending a lot of money on the other sauces you need to create a ketchup substitute.
Is tamarind sauce the same as soy sauce?
As mentioned above, tamari is usually brewed without wheat or with trace levels of wheat. In contrast, soy sauce is brewed with soybeans and wheat. The differences in the brewing methods often leads to a higher protein content in tamari. Visually, tamari is darker and thicker than soy sauce.
Is tamarind Thai sauce spicy?
A tangy, salty, spicy, and barely sweet sauce to accentuate your grilled meats. Prepared tamarind can be a bit confusing to some people but it is actually quite simple. The flesh of the tamarind fruit, which is a bit dense and chewy, is mixed with water until it reaches the consistency of a puree.
Is tamarind sour or bitter?
Tamarind gives sour taste. Bitter gourd is bitter in taste and chocolate tastes sweet.