Tamarind
Tamarind is an Asian spice from the fleshy seed pods of the tamarind
tree. It has a very strong, sour flavor. You can buy tamarind in
packages in oriental and Indian markets. You can also buy concentrated
Tamarind paste, which is a little easier to deal with. In the Thai
book, they say ``One ounce wet tamarind sieved with 1/4 cup water equals
2T concentrate.'' Tamarind water is made by soaking a walnut-sized lump
of tamarind in 1 cup of hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the pulp and
run the water through a sieve. I'm not sure how much concentrate this
equals. I would guess a walnut-sized lump of concentrate mixed with
water.
Jim Plank
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