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Agua de tamarindo
Tamarind drink
Agua de tamarindo: sweet-sour Mexican cooler made from boiled tamarind pods
Brown, cloudy and gloriously tart, agua de tamarindo fills the big glass vitroleros at taquerías and fondas across Mexico, especially in hot Guerrero, Colima and the Yucatán, and it is the drink most people reach for with a plate of tacos de guisado. The pods are peeled, simmered and rubbed through a sieve, so it tastes far fresher than paste or concentrate. Chef's tip: soak the pulp in the hot cooking water before you rub it, which loosens every bit from the seeds.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 9 oz tamarind pods
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 5 ½ oz sugarto taste
- 10 ½ oz ice cubes
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Crack and peel the 9 oz tamarind pods, pulling away the shell and the stringy fibres along the pods.
10 minStep 2: Put the pods in a pan with 1 litre of the 4 ¼ cups water, bring to a boil over a medium-high heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the pulp is very soft and slipping off the seeds. Leave to soak off the heat for 20 minutes.
35 minStep 3: Rub the pulp with your hands or a whisk to free the seeds, then push everything through a sieve, pressing hard. Throw away the seeds and fibres.
8 minStep 4: Stir in the rest of the 4 ¼ cups water and the 5 ½ oz sugar until dissolved. Taste: it should be clearly sour and sweet together. A common mistake is serving it too strong, so add water if it makes you wince.
3 minStep 5: Chill and serve over 10 ½ oz ice cubes. It keeps 3 days in the fridge; stir before pouring.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 23 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does agua de tamarindo take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Summer coolers