The market · Fruit · Southeast Asia, South Asia
Tamarind
The sticky, sour pulp from the pods of a tropical tree — fruity, date-like, and deeply sour.
sour · date-like
What to do with it
Ibu Sari's Beef rendangTamarind would cut through its richnessAna Etxarri's Pil pilTamarind would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's SuyaTamarind would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's Rendang, the Lagos wayTamarind would cut through its richness
JavaneseGado-gadoBlanched vegetables, potato, tofu, tempeh, egg and lontong under a thick peanut sauce, with prawn crackers on top.No one here has made it yetJavaneseTempeh bacemTempeh (and often tofu) simmered in coconut water, palm sugar and spice until the liquid is gone, then fried until dark and sticky.No one here has made it yetJavanesePecelBlanched greens and sprouts under a hot peanut sauce scented with kencur and lime leaf, with rice and a crisp peanut cracker.No one here has made it yetSundaneseKaredokRaw vegetables — long beans, cucumber, sprouts, cabbage, small aubergines and lemon basil — in a peanut sauce sharp with kencur.No one here has made it yet
ThaiPad thaiThin rice noodles stir-fried with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar, egg, tofu and prawns, with beansprouts, chives and crushed peanuts.No one here has made it yetThaiMassaman curryA rich, mild coconut curry fragrant with cardamom, cinnamon and clove, with beef or chicken, potatoes and peanuts, sweet and sour with palm sugar and tamarind.No one here has made it yetMalaysianNasi lemakRice cooked in coconut milk and pandan, with sambal, crisp anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and egg.No one here has made it yetMalaysianAssam laksaThick rice noodles in a sour, spicy broth of flaked mackerel and tamarind, heaped with pineapple, cucumber, onion, mint and torch ginger flower, with sweet prawn paste on top.No one here has made it yetMalaysianSataySkewers of turmeric-marinated meat grilled over charcoal, with a sweet, spicy peanut sauce, rice cakes, cucumber and onion.No one here has made it yetFilipinoSinigangA sour soup of pork, prawns or fish with vegetables, soured most often with tamarind.No one here has made it yetGujaratiDabeliA soft bread roll split and stuffed with a sweet, hot potato filling, tamarind-date chutney, masala peanuts, pomegranate and sev, then toasted in butter.No one here has made it yetGoanXacutiChicken or mutton in a dark, complex sauce of grated coconut and a long list of whole spices, all roasted until brown and ground together.No one here has made it yetGoanGoan fish curryFish simmered in a coconut sauce ground with red chillies and coriander seed, soured with kokum or tamarind — eaten with red rice every day in Goa.No one here has made it yetGoanKhatkhateA thick stew of many vegetables and toor dal in coconut, soured with tamarind and sharpened with tirphal — the dish of Goan Hindu festivals.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianSambarPigeon-pea lentils cooked with tamarind, vegetables and a roasted spice powder, then tempered — poured over rice, or with idli and dosa.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianRasamA thin, peppery, sour broth of tamarind and tomato, with cumin and garlic — poured over rice, or drunk from a cup.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianKori rottiA chicken curry of coconut milk and roasted red chilli, poured over crisp, paper-thin wafers of dried rice that soften as you eat.No one here has made it yetSri LankanJaffna crab curryLagoon crabs cooked in the shell in a fiery sauce of roasted Jaffna curry powder, tamarind and coconut milk, with moringa leaves.No one here has made it yetCape MalayDenningvleisLamb braised slowly with onions, bay leaves and allspice, soured with tamarind and sweetened a little.No one here has made it yet
ThaiPad thaiThin rice noodles stir-fried with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar, egg, tofu and prawns, with beansprouts, chives and crushed peanuts.No one here has made it yetThaiMassaman curryA rich, mild coconut curry fragrant with cardamom, cinnamon and clove, with beef or chicken, potatoes and peanuts, sweet and sour with palm sugar and tamarind.No one here has made it yetMalaysianNasi lemakRice cooked in coconut milk and pandan, with sambal, crisp anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and egg.No one here has made it yetMalaysianAssam laksaThick rice noodles in a sour, spicy broth of flaked mackerel and tamarind, heaped with pineapple, cucumber, onion, mint and torch ginger flower, with sweet prawn paste on top.No one here has made it yetMalaysianSataySkewers of turmeric-marinated meat grilled over charcoal, with a sweet, spicy peanut sauce, rice cakes, cucumber and onion.No one here has made it yetFilipinoSinigangA sour soup of pork, prawns or fish with vegetables, soured most often with tamarind.No one here has made it yetGujaratiDabeliA soft bread roll split and stuffed with a sweet, hot potato filling, tamarind-date chutney, masala peanuts, pomegranate and sev, then toasted in butter.No one here has made it yetGoanXacutiChicken or mutton in a dark, complex sauce of grated coconut and a long list of whole spices, all roasted until brown and ground together.No one here has made it yetGoanGoan fish curryFish simmered in a coconut sauce ground with red chillies and coriander seed, soured with kokum or tamarind — eaten with red rice every day in Goa.No one here has made it yetGoanKhatkhateA thick stew of many vegetables and toor dal in coconut, soured with tamarind and sharpened with tirphal — the dish of Goan Hindu festivals.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianSambarPigeon-pea lentils cooked with tamarind, vegetables and a roasted spice powder, then tempered — poured over rice, or with idli and dosa.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianRasamA thin, peppery, sour broth of tamarind and tomato, with cumin and garlic — poured over rice, or drunk from a cup.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianKori rottiA chicken curry of coconut milk and roasted red chilli, poured over crisp, paper-thin wafers of dried rice that soften as you eat.No one here has made it yetSri LankanJaffna crab curryLagoon crabs cooked in the shell in a fiery sauce of roasted Jaffna curry powder, tamarind and coconut milk, with moringa leaves.No one here has made it yetCape MalayDenningvleisLamb braised slowly with onions, bay leaves and allspice, soured with tamarind and sweetened a little.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Block
- Pressed pulp with seeds; soak in hot water and strain.
- Concentrate
- Convenient, but often harsher.
- Sweet tamarind
- Eaten fresh from the pod as a sweet.
If you can't find it
Blocks of pulp in Asian, Indian and Latin grocers; concentrate in jars.
- 1Tamarind concentrateAbout a third as much as pulp water — it varies, so tasteYou lose some fruitiness; some are harsh.
- To taste, with a pinch of brown sugarYou lose the dark, fruity depth.Gets some back a spoon of pomegranate molasses.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- South and Southeast Asian grocers. The block has the best flavour.
Kitchens that keep it in
West Java, IndonesiaSundaneseThe cooking of West Java's highlands: raw vegetables and fresh sambal, pond fish wrapped in banana leaf, rice packed hot in a leaf, and Bandung's street snacks.8 classicsThailandThaiA cooking of balance, tasted and adjusted at every step: sour, sweet, salty and hot in the same mouthful, sharpened with herbs.11 classicsMalaysia — the Malay Peninsula and northern Borneo, between the Strait of Malacca and the South China SeaMalaysianMalay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan cooking side by side: sambal, coconut and rice, wok-fried noodles and flaky roti, eaten at hawker stalls and mamak shops at all hours.10 classicsThe Philippines — more than seven thousand islands between the South China Sea and the PacificFilipinoSour, salty and a little sweet — vinegar and calamansi, fish sauce and shrimp paste, rice at every meal and pork cooked every way.10 classicsGoa — the Konkan coast of western IndiaGoanCoconut, chilli and vinegar: a coastal kitchen where Konkani fish curry and rice meet pork, bread and sweets from four and a half centuries of Portuguese rule.9 classicsSouth India — the southern peninsula, between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of BengalSouth IndianRice, lentils, coconut and tamarind: fermented batters, sour broths and a sizzle of mustard seed and curry leaves, from the tiffin that starts the day to the feast on a banana leaf.10 classicsSri Lanka — an island in the Indian Ocean, off the southern tip of IndiaSri LankanRice and curry, coconut and heat: an island's cooking of dark-roasted spice, sour goraka and fierce sambols, shaped by Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Malay and Burgher kitchens.10 classicsThe Western Cape — Cape Town and the country around it, at the south-western tip of AfricaCape MalaySweet, sour and gently hot: curries and bredies, fruit in the pot, pickled fish at Easter and koesisters on a Sunday morning — the cooking of the Cape's Muslim community.8 classics
