Cooking with tamarind

My initial exposure to tamarind came when I tried pad Thai for the first time. Almost immediately after I ate my meal, I was looking up recipes for it so I could make it at home. That’s when I encountered tamarind, which was an unfamiliar ingredient to me because I was raised on meat and potatoes in the upper Midwest. It took a bit of searching before I found tamarind paste in the aisles of an Indian grocery store (this was pre-internet). Finding other dishes to use tamarind was also a challenge, mainly because EYB had not yet been founded and because I didn’t have a helpful article explaining what to do with it like this one over at Taste of Home.

Along with a definition of what tamarind is (a fruit, sort of), the Taste of Home article describes the flavor of this tropically-grown food. It also provides several ways you can use the fruit in cooking and baking. This versatile ingredient is at home in Thai and Indian curries, Malaysian beef rendang, and a variety of other savory dishes. It also works in desserts and baked goods. Once you familiarize yourself with tamarind, turn to the EYB Library for loads of ideas on what to make with it. Here are a few Member favorites to get you started:

• Caramel-tamarind salmon (Ca kho to) from Taste.com.au by Australian Good Taste
• Spicy corn pakoras with mango-tamarind chutney from The New York Times by David Tanis (pictured above)
• Pork in tamarind from The Groundnut Cookbook
• Chicken and green bean coconut curry from Gourmet Magazine
• Lentils with pumpkin (Kadu dalcha) from Food and Travel Magazine
• Tamarind flan (Flan tamarindo) from La Boca Loca