When I don’t have fresh tamarind in the kitchen and I need tamarind juice (extract) for a dish that I want to cook, I use tamarind paste. Of course, not having fresh tamarind in the kitchen will soon be a thing of the past since my tamarind tree in the garden is growing nicely. But until it starts bearing fruits, there’s tamarind paste.
Why not powdered sinigang mix? Because I don’t like ready mixes. They come with too many added flavors. Plus, they just don’t afford the opportunity to get creative because everything is pre-determined for you. Like a packet of sinigang mix for a liter or two liters of water. Besides, with ready mixes in packets, if you don’t need all the contents of the entire packet, what do you do with the rest? Tamarind paste keeps well in the fridge. And you can start with a teaspoonful and add more as needed until you get the balance that you prefer.
This brand of tamarind paste contains no preservatives nor artificial flavors. The paste does contain a bit of sugar though which makes it milder and less irritating to the throat.
I’m quite envious that you have a tamarind tree. This is definitely one of my favorite flavors.
If it’s not too cold in your area and a tamarind tree can grow, when my tree bears fruits, I’ll save some seeds, dry them and mail them to you. Seriously.
P.S. The young leaves are great for cooking too.
P.P.S. By the way, congratulations on your home renovation. Looks lovely.
I use a lot of the products from this brand and have not been disappointed. I especially love their sambal oelek which goes well with my hubby’s thick tastebuds. I only now realized that you can use this tamarind paste in lieu of the mix. I used to do it the old fashioned way (squeezing the juice out of the fruit) so the mix was really a convenience. I better watch out then for this the next time I go to the supermarket. Cheers!
Oh this is the same brand I use for making phad thai sauce. Their (thai) basil paste is also good!