Mild Hot Tamarind Sauce

A sweet and peppery tamarind sauce has a definite tropical tang. This delicious Jamaican sauce will wake up any food you put it on.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 15 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 quart water
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves
• 12 pods tamarind (skin removed), broken into pieces
• 1 habanero pepper, stemmed and chopped (wear gloves)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Pour water into a saucepan and add tamarind pod pieces, habanero pepper, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low; simmer until tamarind pods begin to break down and seeds appear. Stir brown sugar into mixture. Press pods against side of pan with a slotted spoon as they cook to help extract pulp. Discard seeds.

Step 2

Continue simmering until tamarind mixture thickens to the consistency of tomato soup, about 40 minutes, stirring often. Mix cilantro, lime juice, and vinegar into sauce and simmer just until cilantro is wilted, 1 to 2 more minutes.

Step 3

Pour sauce through a fine mesh strainer, pressing as much pulp and solids through the mesh as possible. Discard the remaining almost-dry solids (about a palm full) and scrape the outside of the strainer into retained sauce.