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Tamarind liquid

Time1 hour
YieldsMakes about 3 cups
Tamarind liquid
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If you’ve never used it before, tamarind might come across as a difficult ingredient. While seedless pulp is available at many markets, it’s frequently packaged in blocks — the pulp (or paste) is often packed with bits of seed and solids, which need to be strained before the pulp can be used. But straining it to make a smooth liquid or pulp is simple.

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1

Gently simmer the tamarind pulp in 4 cups water for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

2

Press the softened pulp through a sieve, breaking up the pulp and, if necessary, pouring some already-strained liquid through a second or third time to loosen the pulp enough to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids. You should have about 3 cups. Refrigerate tamarind liquid for up to a week or measure it into ice-cube trays and freeze for convenient future use.

Tamarind paste is a packaged block of pulp (typically 14 ounces, various brands). It’s available at Indian and other Southeast Asian markets, Middle Eastern markets and Filipino markets.