An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away — Fact or Fiction? When you deal with large amounts of tamarind purée, this makes more sense. Normally tamarind paste and tamarind concentrate are the same product. In most uses, the difference between tamarind pulp and tamarind paste is small. The ratio of tamarind pulp and water that works best for me is one ounce of shelled tamarinds per one fluid ounce of water. Use both hands for extra pleasure. Where To Buy Tamarind Paste. It’s one of the most prominent souring agents right up there with lime juice. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. You can enjoy this fruit in several ways. Has anyone else used this, or does anyone have any suggestions? Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It’s native to Africa but also grows in India, Pakistan and many other tropical regions. It has also been used in traditional medicine to treat diseases like malaria (1). Some uses for the pulp include making tamarind drinks such as agua de tamarindo, or it is used in Thai cooking for making a traditional sour soup. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Nutrition, Benefits, and Downsides. Tamarind can be eaten straight off the tree, and can be found in many Latin American and Asian groceries. The amount of water is just enough to allow the shelled tamarinds to soften up and disintegrate without much manual labor on your part. First, you need to crack and peel away the hard brown shell. All rights reserved. I'm trying to learn new dishes. It contains polyphenols like flavonoids, some of which can help regulate cholesterol levels. Tamarind candy may contain unsafe amounts of lead. Some argue that freshly soaked tamarind pulp has a better, fresher flavor, but most cooks see little difference. You can also use tamarind paste in cooking. The only explanation for this obvious misnomer that I can think of is that the Thais call prepared tamarind pulp, “น้ำมะขาม(เปียก),” which is literally “tamarind water.” Needless to say, น้ำมะขามเปียก is not at all the juice of the unjuiceable tamarinds; it is the hydrated and disintegrated pulp of this fruit-like legume. Look for tamarind paste in most any Asian or Mexican grocery store. It can damage the kidneys and nervous system. #2: A little unconventional. These cookies do not store any personal information. It produces pods filled with paste-like, sweet-sour fruit. Tamarind is a tropical tree that grows in several regions around the world. Juice it with your fingers to remove as much ‘juice’ as possible, strain and use. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. It can also help lower blood pressure and has anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects. Adding too much liquid could very well result in the noodles being tragically soggy and falling apart. I have no idea what the ratio is - and it is really strong stuff. The paste is often mixed with sugar to make candy. This could be attributed to the … Read the Tamarind Pulp vs Tamarind Paste discussion from the Chowhound General Discussion, Tamarind Paste food community. However, tamarind is pretty high in calories compared to many other fruit, which may be a problem for people who are trying to control calorie intake. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Preservatives may also be added. Now it’s ready to eat! Tamarind extract contains natural compounds that have antimicrobial effects (6). You’re not going to get that from commercial prepared “tamarind juice concentrate.”. You can either prepare it from the pods or purchase it as a block. I once witnessed how her doctor, who was in his mid-40s back then, hit on my grandma who was probably 75 at that time. A compound called lupeol is credited with tamarind’s antibacterial effects (1). She also sometimes used the pulp as a facial mask. If you plan on making your own Pad Thai in the future, familiarity with how to prepare tamarind pulp will serve you well. In fact, a single cup of tamarind contains 69 grams of carbs in the form of sugar, which is equivalent to 17.5 teaspoons of sugar. Tamarind paste is the pulp that surrounds the seeds of the tamarind pod. Sometimes, tamarind paste and concentrate refer to the same product. Lead exposure is dangerous, especially for children and pregnant women. It just tastes fresher and less processed. Join the discussion today. Remove the veins from the fruit. Here’s three ways that you can easily extract Tamarind pulp/juice without wasting too much time in the mornings! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cited tamarind candy as a cause of lead poisoning in several cases in 1999.