Homemade Tamarind Concentrate (Paste)

In some households, tamarind paste or tamarind concentrate is used on a regular basis. It is readily available at your local Indian or Asian grocery store, but you can make it at home for a fraction of the cost. Having tamarind paste on hand is a big time saver and the best part…its got an incredible shelf life when stored in the refrigerator or freezer. So go ahead and make a batch today!

Ingredients:

Dried Tamarind – 7 oz (200 g)
Water – 2 cups + 1/2 cup (divided)

Method:

1. Break tamarind into smaller pieces and place into a pressure cooker.
2. Add 2 cups water and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Allow pressure to go down by itself.
3. Open pressure cooker and mash tamarind with a potato masher to loosen the pulp from the fibers and seeds.
4. Using a large colander or strainer and a spatula or spoon, strain tamarind pulp from the fibers and into a bowl.
5. Place fibers back into the pressure cooker and add 1/2 cup water.
6. If the tamarind is cool enough, use hands to further loosen the pulp.
7. Once again, strain the tamarind pulp. After the second run, all of the pulp should be out.
8. Discard the fibers and seeds.
9. Place strained tamarind pulp back into the pressure cooker (uncovered) and allow the mixture to come to a boil.
10. Boil for an additional minute and remove from stove.
11. Allow tamarind pulp to cool and store in a clean jar or container.
12. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Shelf life is many months.

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0 thoughts on “Homemade Tamarind Concentrate (Paste)

  1. Have viewed this recipe with interest having come to the end of my store-bought imli chutney.

    I’m interested to know whether the result is at all gritty? The colander used on the demo seemed to have fairly large holes. Am wondering whether a piece of cloth might be necessary?

    1. Hi Milady,

      No, we have not really had a gritty feel to this. When the pulp is so soft, it really does not have any texture, but smooth.

  2. Have viewed this recipe with interest having come to the end of my store-bought imli chutney.

    I’m interested to know whether the results is at all gritty? The colander used on the demo seemed to have fairly large holes. Am wondering whether a piece of cloth might be necessary?

  3. I bought some dry tamarind pods, took the pulp out, and followed your instructions. My results are a much lighter brown. Do I need to cook it longer? It is nice and thick and smooth.

  4. hey,i noticed you used a stainless steel pressure cooker.I came to know that aluminium is not a correct material to use for cooking.I had been using aluminium pressure cooker for so many days.I want to switch to stainless steel pressure cooker.What is the brand that you used in this video?

    1. Hi Sindhura,

      Between the two of us, we have Vinod, Futura, Premier and Prestige brands. They all work great. But yes, we do prefer stainless steel over aluminum.

  5. What a great video, and so helpful! Thank you so much! This is the best recipe for tamarind paste I have found. The only problem is I don’t know what to do with the tamarind itself! LOL. Where I live it is much cheaper to buy fresh tamarind pods than the packaged kind you are using. I am not sure how to make the paste with the pods. Do I just peel the outer shell away and cook the meat/seeds the same way you show in the video? Or is there an extra step? Also, do you know how many pods or ounces of fresh tamarind would equal the package from your beautiful recipe? I really want to try it! Thank you for your help! : )

    1. Hi Stephanie,

      We have not tried it with tamarind pods but as long as they are dry and not fresh from the tree, the same procedure should work (after removing the dry husk). Again, we are not sure what the weight would be of the pods as we have not used them. Sorry.

  6. I think someone on this site suggested some baking, I think it is an excellent idea to shift abit in that direction.
    I hope you will take notice of this request.I am sure many will agree & enjoy the change.
    many thanks to both of you ladies.

  7. So far you all do some nice recipes, but I think it would be nice if you did little things like bake biscuits, cookies, muffins ete.
    Just a suggestion, children are drawn to baking !!!

  8. So far you all do some nice recipes, but I think it would be nice if you did little things like bake biscuits, cookies, muffins ete.
    Just a suggestion, children are drawn to baking !!!

  9. In Indian cuisine tamarind has a distinct place. It is important to be able to make a tamarind concentrate before using them in the dishes because many a times, you get tamarind that have lot of fiber which can spoil the taste.

    Your use of video to explain the process is really good. It is as if we are doing it ourselves and as they say you learn the most by action.

  10. Nice to see both of you again.
    Is it possible for you folks to do some home made gujarati biscuits.They are really nice & safer as far as health is concerned.
    Much oblige.

  11. Hi,
    since ages i wanted to learn this .thanx!can u plz also explain how to make ghee out of malai,makkhan(cream extracted from the top layer of milk.that will be very beneficial for us cause its lot more healthier.

    and yes!tomorrow is my 5th wedding anniversary and your videos were a life saver after d marriage in a traditional Indian “FOOD LOVING” family.I have received a lot of appriciation for d recipes i learnt from this channel.Thank you!

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