On our travels through various islands we encounter locally grown fruits and vegetables; many we are familiar with. Others?, not so much.
We had become familiar with Tamarinds in the Bahamas. Every once in a great while we stumble across a tree filled with Tamarind fruit. The fruit is tart, often extremely so. It benefits from sweetener, at least for our palate.
Recently, we stumbled upon a tree in Eleuthera that had not be harvested at all. It was slightly off the road behind a Mimosa Tree and Coconut Palm. An old path, slightly overgrown shown the way to the base of the tree. We made our way through and collected as much as we could carry.
The fruit separates from the husk or skin fairly easily, especially when ripe. But blanching them will help. After removing the skin you are left with a pulp that has some seeds. Soak what is left in very hot, but not boiling water for 45 minutes. It will get soft. Then press/squeeze the pulp through a strainer. Anything that doesn’t pass, discard.
This pulp and water is then boiled for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will splatter as it gets thicker, watch out. After 5 minutes turn off the heat and let cool… You now have a thick, very tart, paste. Perfect for the next step of making the sauce…
Tamarind Sauce
Equipment
- Sauce Pan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Tamarind Paste (unsweetened)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder Or fresh minced garlic
- 1/8 Tsp Garam Masala See your local Indian Grocery
- 1/4 Tsp Coriander
- 1/4 Tsp Cumin
- 4 TBSP Honey
- 1/2 Cup Water
Instructions
- Bring half a cup of water to a boil
- Stir in all other ingredients
- Reduce to simmer for 5 mins or until reduced to preferred consistency