Tamarind juice recipe

Delicious refreshing tamarind juice - vegan, paleo and gluten free

Course Drink

Cuisine Caribbean

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 60kcal

Author Charla

2 c a box of fresh tamarind pods approx 2 cups worth or 3 blocks of tamarind/1 large jar
6 cups of lukewarm water
¼ cup of coconut nectar can use maple syrup, agave etc..
1 tsp a thumb piece of ginger or 1 tsp of ground ginger
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Use your fingers to crack the brown tamarind shells and remove the stalk from the pulp.
Place the pulp in a large heatproof bowl then carefully pour the warm water over the raw fruit.
Allow the tamarind to sit in the water for 5-10 minutes so it begins to soften.
Pour the contents of the bowl into a tall blender like a vitamix and also add fresh ginger now if you are using it, Do this in batches if required to accommodate the volume of liquid.
On the lowest setting, pulse the tamarind for 15-10 seconds so the seed separates from the pulp. The liquid will be dark cloudy brown hue and the seeds should settle at the bottom of the container. Repeat this step if necessary to ensure the seeds have pulled apart.
Pour the tamarind juice into a mesh/cheese cloth or sieve and squeeze and strain the remaining juice. Work in batches if need be.
Finally sweeten the juice with coconut nectar, vanilla and serve with ice.

Store the juice in a glass pitcher in the refrigerator, ready to drink
Consume the juice within 5 days of preparation.
If you don't have a high speed blender then soak your pods for sever hours or overnight so they separate from the seeds.
Use 3 blocks of tamarind or 1 large jar of tamarind paste (additive free, no other ingredients) if you cannot source fresh pods.
The taste. Tamarind is quite tart in taste, if you want a sweeter taste then add more sweetener. If you like a sour drink then use less sweetener or none at all
Don't forget to add some ice cubes to your drink.
For a different taste, why not use ginger, lime, cloves, nutmeg or cinnamon.