Thursday, January 21, 2010
3 Recipe #59: Dulce de Tamarindo (Tamarind Candy)
In my travels to Mexico, I had the lucky experience of tasting dulce de tamarindo, or tamarind candy. These are sold pretty much everywhere there -- at open markets, festivals & fairs, in grocery stores & convenience marts, etc. -- Heck, you can even find them in airports. :)
While they are sometimes sold in mini clay cazuelas, I more commonly found them wrapped in cellophane.
I've eaten them in various forms -- sometimes in a more natural incarnation -- i.e., shelled whole tamarind covered with sugar, chili, & salt -- & other times, they were pulverized mixtures of tamarind pulp, sugar, chili, salt, etc., shaped into little balls of confection.
Whatever form they take, they are yummy & totally addictive. :-D
As this is a healthy gourmet blog, I decided to come up with a healthier version that can be enjoyed without feeling guilty over the prospect of having all of one's teeth fall out at once. :)
So, here, as promised in a previous post, is my much healthier take on "dulces de tamarindo." Enjoy!
Dulce de Tamarindo
Ingredients:
1 c. hot water
1 c. tamarind paste (a concentrate)
1 c. honey
1 tsp. powdered chili (Or alternatively, you can use Tajín Fruit seasoning.)
1 small pinch of salt
1 c. hot water
1 c. tamarind paste (a concentrate)
1 c. honey
1 tsp. powdered chili (Or alternatively, you can use Tajín Fruit seasoning.)
1 small pinch of salt
Granular or confectioner's sugar, for dusting
Directions:
1. In a sauce pot, heat tamarind paste & water over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add honey & continue to stir until dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil & continue to cook until the candy mixture is reduced by about 1/3. Mixture should be thick & shouldn't run.
2. As a test, put a small amount on a dish & place in the fridge. If it sets after a few minutes, then proceed to the next step. (If not, then boil the mixture a little longer. :) Be very careful NOT to overcook, as the flavor will become less desirable.)
3. Remove sauce pot from heat & allow to cool a bit. Next, combine with chili & salt, & stir, making sure to blend the mixture thoroughly. Then pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet (or 9 x 13 inch baking pan) & spread it out a bit. Refrigerate for a few hours until it sets & becomes firm.
4. Remove from fridge. Pinch off small amounts & roll into small, quarter-sized balls.
5. Place into Ziploc bag of sugar. Shake to coat the tamarind balls.
6. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Chef's Note: Working with tamarind tends to be a messy affair, so you might want to wear latex/rubber gloves, an apron, &/or old clothes you don't care too much about while working with the stuff. Also, please note, that it stains & is hard to get out of clothing. Not that I would know that from personal experience or anything. ;-)
Chef's Note: Working with tamarind tends to be a messy affair, so you might want to wear latex/rubber gloves, an apron, &/or old clothes you don't care too much about while working with the stuff. Also, please note, that it stains & is hard to get out of clothing. Not that I would know that from personal experience or anything. ;-)
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| Featured above are the flowers of a tamarind plant. Pretty stunning, eh?! |
3 comments:
I'm trying this out, thanks for posting. Do you buy the paste in the jar or the brick sold at Asian markets? I'm trying to make Tamarindo Candied Apples. . .
Hello Liz,
Thanks for your comments! To answer your question: For this particular recipe, I use the concentrated paste that comes in a jar. It saves a whole lot of time & mess. :)
Tamarind candied apples sound yummy. Let me know how they turn out.
Any chance you could share the recipe?! :) You're welcome to paste it into the comments section of this post or just email it to me. I'd really love to try making it.
Thanks so much!
-C
Hi again, Liz,
Oooh, I just happened to find a useful site on cooking with tamarind. And the funny thing is that I wasn't even looking for it! I was looking for something completely different & it just magically appeared in front of me & leaped out from the page. :) So check it out. Hope you find it useful.
-C
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