What is the difference between Thai and Indian tamarind?

There are technically two types of tamarind: sweet and sour. As mentioned before, the flavour of tamarind depends on the age and ripeness of the fruit. Sour tamarind is more commonly produced across the world and in India, while sweet tamarind primarily originates from Thailand .

What Thai dishes use tamarind?

Many Thai soups such as Tom Yum use the tamarind flavor in their broths. Tamarind is also an essential ingredient in many Thai curry recipes. Nam phrik phao uses tamarind and can be used as a sauce, condiment, dip, or as a spread. Several other dips and sauces also use tamarind for flavoring.

What does tamarind do to meat?

Tamarind is a great way to tenderize meat because of its high acidity, which breaks down tougher cuts . Use it in marinades for tender meat and a hint of sour flavor.

What is in tamarind paste?

Water, Tamarind Extract (43%), Cornflour, Sugar, Salt .

Why do South Indian people eat tamarind?

Tamarind, derived from the Tamarindus indica tree, has been a culinary cornerstone in South India for centuries. Its robust, sweet-sour taste adds depth to dishes, creating a harmonious balance of flavors . As a staple in many households, tamarind is celebrated for enhancing both traditional and contemporary recipes.

Does tamarind paste go bad?

Unopened tamarind paste can typically last for up to a year past its printed date when stored in a cool, dry place . Once you've opened the jar, the tamarind paste should be consumed within a month if stored at room temperature. But, if you refrigerate it after opening, it can last for about 6 months.

What pairs well with tamarind?

Combine tamarind with other tropical fruits in sauces and salad dressings, where it goes well with orange, pineapple and mango . Blend honey with tamarind pulp and the adobo from chipotles in adobo for a smoky, sweet and sour glaze for grilled meat, poultry or seafood.

What do Mexicans use tamarind for?

Traditionally, the pulp of ripe fruits is used for sweets and soft drinks , since these are sweeter and the pulp of young fruits is used for salty dishes due to its acidity.

What is the preferred sweet ingredient in Thai cuisine?

Palm Sugar : Palm sugar is used in some Thai recipes and is available in some Asian markets in cellophane wrapped blocks. If palm sugar is unavailable, dark brown sugar or real maple syrup can be substituted.

Can I use Indian tamarind for pad thai?

Indian tamarind paste will have a different flavor and color, and it is NOT appropriate to use for Pad Thai . I got my Thai tamarind paste from the Thai market but you should also be able to find it on Amazon. If you are using dry noodles, do not over-hydrate!

Which tamarind is better?

Sour Tamarind Is More Antihypertensive than the Sweeter One, as Evidenced by In Vivo Biochemical Indexes, Ligand–Protein Interactions, Multitarget Interactions, and Molecular Dynamic Simulation.

Are there two types of tamarind?

There are two main types of tamarind: sour (the most common) and sweet (mostly comes from Thailand) . Tamarind can be eaten fresh (ripe or unripe) and it can be consumed processed into different products.

What is the Indian name for tamarind?

On the other hand, in India, tamarind is called "imli" (in Hindi-Urdu) but also "almi" and "chinch" , in Malaysia it is known as "asam", in Indonesia it goes under the name of "asam jawa" or "buah asam" (literally "acidulous fruit"), in the Thai language "ma-kahm" and in Vietnamese "me". Fruit.

Tamarind Jam Recipe - Thai-Foodie (2024)

January 29, 2015 · In: Thai Fusion

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I try to be crafty, but usually whenever I bring home the “crafts” I make during my Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group, my hubby takes one look and says,”Umm, honey…what’s that?”

Some of my mom friends, if you throw some felt, hot glue and googly eyes in their general direction, in a few minutes they have created felt finger puppetsfor their kiddo to play with, and they will be smiling from ear to ear because it gives them such joy to take googly eyes and glue and make beauty out of it.

I get how they feel because I revel in the effort it takes to pull together ingredients like chicken, garlic, Thai basil and rice and make something that makes my Thai hubby say after a long day of work,”Alroy mak (So delicious)! This is just what I needed!”

So for Christmas I decided to not even try a DIY gift like I did last year—personalizing white mugs with gold Sharpie marker and then even after baking it in the oventhe marker eventually faded off—and just make something food-related: tamarind jam.

“What is tamarind? And what does it go best with?” Were the two questions I got asked the most as I handed off my wrapped up tamarind jam jars to my friends.

Tamarind Jam

Total Time: 30 minutes

Print Recipe

Description

This sweet, sour tropical tamarind jam is a fun, easy gift for family and friends!

Ingredients

Scale

1 14-ounce package of seedless tamarind seedless, or 1 1/4 c. tamarind paste
1 to 1 1/4 c. sugar, to taste
1 pinch of salt
Two 8 oz. jam jars

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Place the seedless tamarind in a bowl. Put water in the bowl until the tamarind is just covered.
Let the tamarind sit for 10 minutes to soften up.
Use your hands to squeeze the tamarind, and break it up.
As you squeeze, take out the stems and *seeds and throw them away.
As you squeeze the tamarind, it will ooze out between your fingers and form a paste in the bowl. Once the seeds and stems are mostly gone (a few always seem to escape and that’s ok), and a paste has formed in the bowl, take a cup of the paste and put it in a small pot.
Add the sugar and mix.
Warm the mixture to medium low heat.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Add a pinch of salt.
Taste the mixture. If you think it needs more sugar, feel free to add more. The jam should be thick enough without you needing to add anything else, but if you want it extra thick feel free to make a slurry of 3 tsp. or so of cornstarch with 1 tsp of water and then add it to the jam at the end and stir until thickened.
Add the jam to your jam jars, and seal them.
If you don’t want to use the jam right away, feel free to boil the jars for 10 minutes in boiling water to seal the jars and preserve the jam. (I didn’t do this step. I just told people to refrigerate the jam, since it was quicker for me and not a big deal to refrigerate it).
Use the jam with toast, on crackers or with cheese! Just experiment, and let me know what you like it with best!

Notes

*Even though I always buy seedless tamarind at the Asian store, there always seems to be a few seeds and stems left in it still!

Out of one seedless tamarind package, I get about 1 1/4c. to 1 1/2c. of tamarind paste. When I made this for Christmas I bought three packages of seedless tamarind and filled up about six 8 oz. jars with it. Just remember for 1 cup of tamarind use about 1 cup of sugar to taste.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2 8oz. jam jars