At our Thai Cooking Class in Phuket, we let you make Tamarind Juice from Tamarind flesh (as opposed to the paste you can buy ready to use in a jar). The juice adds sourness to many delicious Thai recipes, i.e. Pad Thai, prawn in tamarind sauce, and “son-in-law’s” eggs!
When our recipes call for tamarind juice, we mean the thick juice extracted from tamarind and water mixture. In Thailand we can get deseeded tamarind flesh in block. You need to soak 100 g of tamarind (about half a cup or half a handful) in 1 cup of water. Leave it for about 15 minutes to soften. Massage the soften tamarind with your hand until the meat dissolves in water, about 2-3 minutes. The water will now become very thick with tamarind. Add an extra half a cup to a cup of water to help extract more meat off of the tamarind, or until the pulp is rather lean. Strain the tamarind juice with a fine sieve and discard the pulp. Use immediately or cook the juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to reduce for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Store in sterilised jar in the fridge for later use. Keep for about 2-3 months. Don’t forget to shake well before use and use clean spoon when you need to use it, to prevent spoilage.
