It looks a bit like a brain, doesn’t it? This one kilo block of “ripe” sampalok cost me just PHP60 ($1.20) at the FTI market the other day. I keep typing “ripe” as it wasn’t exactly naturally sweet like the whole tamarind pods that come from Thailand (do they sweeten those somehow without peeling them?). In fact, this tamarind was so sour I can’t imagine how much more sour it was when it was green and unripe!
I put the entire block of tamarind into a pot, added maybe 7-8 cups of water and turned the flames to medium high. I wrote about some freshly peeled ripe sampalok before, here and here, and I wanted to make some sampalok puree once again for other uses… I added 2 cups of white sugar, tasted it and freaked out at just how sour it still was. I added another 2-3 cups of brown sugar and it took on a beautiful deep caramel color and it started to taste nicely tart and sweet at the same time. Once it was just the right consistency (it thickens a bit as it cools, I took it off the heat and passed it through a sieve
Once it was just the right consistency (it thickens a bit as it cools), I took it off the heat and passed it through a sieve and bottled up half the yield for uses in marinades, sauces, etc. Now if only I could get my hands on say 100 kilos of this stuff, I would make hundreds of bottles of tamarind puree to use in our restaurants… because right now I realize we use commercial thai tamarind puree (for our roasted chickens) that costs 5x the cost of doing it ourselves, with local produce to boot!
15 Responses
MM, where and how do you use them? I’ve ever only use unripe tamarind for sinigang. Thanks
edee, you can make juice. You can use the puree as part of a marinade for chicken or even beef. You can make salad dressings. You can add it to vegetables stir-fried with chilies. It’s a beautiful sour/sweet flavor that’s quite versatile. Of course you could also add lots and lots of sugar and make it into sampalok candy as well. :)
No offense to the tamarind, it looks like Jojo B’s dark and sinister brain.
joe jj, hahaha, I actually had a spontaneous laugh at that comment.
Hi! Where is FTI Market? Is it the same AANI Weekend Market?
Thank you.
thank you so much MM for sharing your ideas here! ;)
cecile, you are most welcome. Diosa, yes, FTI and AANI are one and the same market.
Do you include the seeds when you put it in the bottle?
Vicky, no I strain out the seems and fibers (or root like looking stuff). It’s nice and smooth like a puree from the bottle. I suppose if I put enough sugar, I could make this spoonable tamarind candy. :)
Whoaaa! The acid!
…or you could add more sugar and bottle it and sell it as another of Zubufoods spreads! SARAP!
I just saw some four days ago at the Carbon Market in Cebu City. I make them into tamarindo juice too. They’re sold in one kilo packs.
my grandmother loved to make tamarind jam, and it was thick and almost chewy after hours of stirring in a “tacho” (copper pot). she left the seeds in so it was a treat to find them with a bit of pulp around them. this post made me miss my grandma.
Wow! This is the ketchup i grew up with in Bulacan. We used to do this with heirloom recipes from our great grandparents.
Hi! May I know where I can buy or order ripe tamarind? I use a lot of it for cooking. Thanks. Jean