Tamarind anyone

[Yoly1001]

I went to the grocery store to do my usual shopping when I came across some tamarind pods. I picked up a few so that when I got home I could look them up on fitday. I did and it only has 1.25 carbs per little pod. I am so excited! I used to eat this as a kid in Mexico and loved it. I am so glad that I have rediscovered this item and get to eat it all the time now. YEAY!

I know it sounds like I'm making a big deal over nothing but I love when I discover new things I can eat, maybe you guys are the only people in the world who DO understand.

[Smallerizing]

Re: Tamarind anyone

I've seen them in the stores, but excuse my ignorance, HOW do you eat them?


I'm always up for something new and exotic.

[Yoly1001]

Re: Tamarind anyone

You just peel the shell and take off the stringy parts. It's kind of sticky and there are seeds. You just bite each individual seed and lick off the pulp, you can also eat the outer skin on the shell. There is about 5 shells per pod depending on the size. I'm not sure it's for everybody but the taste is really tart and kind of sour. I used to love eating sour candy's like sweet tarts or those sour patch kids, so this is perfect for me. I hope you try them and you like them, I just ate 3 right now, yummy!

[not2late]

Re: Tamarind anyone

I used to see them in the store when I lived in New Jersey. I haven't tried tamarind yet. But if I did I would wait until the "other fruit" rung of OWL.
Whoops! I just looked it up in a book called On Food and Cooking the Lore and Science of the Kitchen by Harold McGee. In chapter 8, it says

Tamarind is the fibrous, sticky, aromatic, and intensely sour pulp that surrounds the seeds in the pods of Tamarindus indica, a tree in the bean family native to Africa and Madagascar.

So since it's a member of the bean family, maybe it belongs in the Legume rung of OWL.....

[clairebear]

Re: Tamarind anyone

I love the sourness of it!

I use it in a lot of Thai and Indian cooking.

I swap between the paste (which is easy to use) or the pulp. I use the pulp when it calls for "tamarind water" - which is basically what you get when you soak some pulp or pods in hot water for ten minutes. So think of it as tamarind tea, your not actually ingesting the pulp, just the flavour.

And what a flavour! Perfect for that whole salty / sour / sweet Thai balance.

I've actually adapted some of my favourite recipies from Thai "bible" (David Thompson's Thai Food - this chef has spent years gathering traditional recipies and actually consults to the Thai government on retaining their traditional cuisine. If you are ever in Sydney, you have to go to Sailors Thai. Yum! Oops, I think I have digressed...) to use Splenda instead of palm sugar. It doesn't have the right consistency and the flavour is not quite right but for me, it means I can still make a big mess in the kitchen cooking. I miss that when I'm on Atkins. Steak and salad or baked vegies isn't quite as fun as grinding spices and making pastes (although, my vindaloo is death without rice!)