What Is Tamarind and How Can I Use It?

Tamarind is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 75 recipes to get you started.

What is tamarind?

Tamarind (known as Imli in Hindi) is a very popular ingredient used in Indian households for everyday cooking. It is a sour dark colored fruit that grows in a pod and is used extensively across the world (from India to Thailand to Mexico) to make a variety of dishes, candies, and even sweet dishes. Though it is usually used to make savory dishes, when combined with sugar, it creates a unique flavor and gives the dish the right balance of both sweet and sour. From making fresh sweet and sour tamarind chutneys to adding them to dishes like Sambhar and Rasam to uplift their flavor and add a hint of tang to them, tamarind is indeed an essential part of Indian cuisine.

A tamarind paste is made by boiling the whole tamarind in water and separating its pod from it before crushing it into a pulp. The paste is an easy and convenient alternative to the whole tamarind as it saves you the time of boiling it and preparing it at home before adding it to any dish. Packaged Tamarind pastes can easily be bought off the shelf from any supermarket or a store nearby your home.

How to make tamarind paste?

Using fresh Tamarind pods make your own fresh homemade tamarind paste.

Homemade Tamarind paste recipe

Nutrition

Where found

Tamarind is usually found in the asian section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group

Tamarind is a member of the Fruits and Fruit Juices US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

How much does tamarind weigh?

Related

Fruits and Fruit Juices

Recipes using tamarind

There are 75 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Homemade Sour Fish Curry

This recipe is a very popular dish in Sri Lanka. I hope you’ll try this recipe.

Sindhi Curry

One of my favourite things to have for a meal is Sindhi curry with plain boiled rice accompanied by crispy vegetables. The Sindhi Curry is by far the nicest curry I’ve had. Sour, spicy and tangy – some of the flavours I’m especially biased towards. This is also good because I end up eating a variety of vegetables.

Jasmin's Pad Thai

Authentic Thai street-style pad thai with chewy rice noodles, shrimp, tamarind, and fish sauce. Quick wok-tossed noodles with cashews and lime in 20 minutes.

Shrimp & Lentil Soup

a bit spicy soup.. I found a combination of lentil and shrimp in Sri Lanka's cuisine, however I never found any recipe, and I tried my way..

Chicken Pad Thai

Pad Thai Tip: For even more flavor, I'll often make a double batch of the pad Thai sauce. Then, as I'm stir-frying the noodles, I'll add more sauce until I'm happy with the taste (I also add extra fish sauce). Any leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Thai Tamarind Chicken Stir Fry

Tired of cooking chicken the plain old style? How about making it Thai style this time! And with a hint of tamarind added to it, there is no way you can keep yourself from licking the last morsel of it left off the plate. What’s more? It is quick and easy to make and can be prepared in a jiffy whenever you have unannounced guests at home. A classic Thai recipe, this sweet and sour chicken stir fry even though is a meal by itself but when served with fragrant jasmine rice they take the eating experience to a whole new level. Try is right away!

Cabbage Cucumber Salad with Tamarind Dressing

A quick, easy and delicious salad. Cucumber, mang bean sprouts and cabbage were crunchy and juicy. lemon, yogurt and tamarind dressing was creamy and refreshing. A delicious dish.

Indonesian Beef Rendang

Serve with steamed rice and pair with spiced ale or imperial brown ale.

Mango & Tamarind Chutney

Mango and tamarind chutney: slow-simmered jammy preserve with mango, golden raisins, ginger, mustard seed, and sour tamarind. Water-bath canned for a year of shelf life.

Tamarind Sauce

Indian tamarind chutney (imli ki chutney) made from soaked tamarind pulp with toasted cumin, chili, and mint. The classic tangy-sweet dipping sauce for samosas, pakoras, and chaats.

Tamarind Paste

Using fresh Tamarind pods make your own fresh homemade tamarind paste. You can use it in Indian cooking, Thai, Jamaican and Mexican. Add a spoonful to flavor curry, soups or even into meat taco mixes. In India it is used for a soft drink. Sort of like iced tea with an interesting tang or zing.

Curried Oysters with Banana Salsa

Grilled oysters on the half shell drenched in a rich curry cream sauce made with homemade fish fumet, topped with a tropical red banana salsa spiked with serrano chiles, tamarind, and fresh mint. A showstopper.

Sambhar

South Indian sambhar made with toor dal, tamarind, coconut, and a ground spice paste of channa dal, dhania seeds, and dried red chiles. A tangy, protein-rich lentil stew for rice or dosa.

Mint & Coriander Chutney

Fresh mint and coriander chutney with tamarind, green chili, and onion ground into a bright, tangy paste. A no-cook Indian condiment that keeps in the fridge for a week and pairs with samosas, kebabs, and chaat.

Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork in Sour Broth)

Classic Filipino sinigang with pork ribs braised in a tart tamarind broth alongside tomatoes, daikon, green beans, and wilted spinach. The ultimate sour soup for rice lovers.

Sprout, Bean & Vegetable Stew

A South Indian-inspired sambar stew with Brussels sprouts and green beans simmered in a spiced yellow lentil purée with tamarind, mustard seeds, and fenugreek. Vegan, protein-rich, and served over rice.

Pitlai

Pitlai is a South Indian lentil stew with bitter gourd (karela), chickpeas, tamarind, and a ground coconut-spice paste. A tangy, complex vegetarian curry with toor dal and jaggery.

Katirikkai Thogyal

Katirikkai thogyal is a smoky South Indian eggplant chutney made with roasted eggplant, urad dal, dried red chilies, tamarind, and a pinch of hing. Coarsely blended and served alongside rice and ghee.

Molahu Kozhambhu

A spicy and delicious dish that calls for canned tomatoes, red chili peppers and rice flour.

Rasta Redfish Marinade

Rasta redfish marinade is a Caribbean-style chutney made from unripe mangos, tamarind, malt vinegar, ginger, and hot chilies. Simmered, pureed, and ready to transform grilled fish.

Lone Dao Jiow

Lon Tao Jiao: a Thai coconut milk and fermented bean sauce dip served with raw cucumber, cabbage, and green beans. A salty-sweet-sour Thai vegetable platter.

Kwitiaow Pad Thai

Kwitiaow Pad Thai with rice noodles, prawns, bean curd, egg, and peanuts in a tamarind-palm sugar sauce. An authentic Thai street food classic with traditional condiments on the side.

Sambar

South Indian sambar with toor dal, potatoes, tomatoes, and tamarind in a spiced lentil broth finished with a mustard seed tempering. Serve with rice, idli, or dosa.

Fish Stew

South Indian fish stew with monkfish, tamarind, coconut, mustard seeds and asafoetida. Fragrant Kerala-style seafood curry served over saffron rice.

Eggplant Dip or Spread

South Indian eggplant dip with tempered mustard seeds, cumin, tamarind, and fresh coconut. A smoky, tangy spread with roasted eggplant pureed with ground spice masala.

All 75 recipes