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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Agua de Tamarindo



Up until about 10 years or so ago, I didn't know much about the tamarindo (family Leguminosae).  Not much beyond a Jarritos bubbly beverage or a delicious, sour, hot, chewy candy that could be quite addictive.  My hubby on the other hand was quite familiar with that sticky fruit that surrounded pit-like seeds and lay enclosed in a hard, brownish pod.  Growing up, my suegra (mother-in-law) used to give him and his hermanos cut up pieces of tamarindo instead of candy.  To them it was like watching all the other kids in the neighborhood get an ice cream cone from the ice cream truck while he had to have a popsicle from his own freezer...like eating a "house burger" when all the other kids were eating Mc D's.  If only we had known then what we know now, huh?

 
Ha ha ha ha....okay...back to tamarindos.  Another thing mi suegra makes is Agua de Tamarindo.  Tamarind Water.  It is called Agua Fresca (fresh water) or sometimes an Agua Preparada (prepared water).  I'm definitely going to be making several kinds of Agua Frescas over the summer...they're so cooling and, well, fresh go figure.  This is mi suegras method for making Agua de Tamarindo...I've added in "amounts" for the ingredients, but they are really up to your own tastes.  Like most all of the seasoned home cooks in Mexico...and elsewhere, just fits my story to say Mexico...my MIL uses her hands and her eyes to measure.  I've given you the measurements I came up with while making it her way...

Agua de Tamarindo
from la cocina de mi suegra

~1/2 - 3/4 lb. tamarindo pods
~1 1/2 qts. water
~1/2 c. piloncillo, crushed  (if you don't have access to piloncillo, you can substitute brown sugar)

Begin by peeling the hard pod away from the sticky fruit inside.  Grab the stem-end and snap it.  There are strings that run the length of the pod...gripping the stem, pull down, releasing the strings from the fruit.  This will crack the pod on the way down.  Peel off what remains of the pod.  You will be left with a long, sticky tamarindo.  The bumps are the areas where there are seeds.  You do not need to remove the seeds now for making the Agua Fresca, but they do pop out pretty easily if you make a little slit in the side.  Or just take a bite off and slide it off in your mouth.  It's sour, but delicious! And you will be left with sticky fingers once all of your tamarindos are shelled.
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy pot.  Add the shelled fruit and the piloncillo.  Boil for a few minutes to dissolve the sugar and loosen the tamarindo from the seeds, then cover and turn off the heat.  Let the pot sit for 3 or 4 hours...or even overnight.

Remove the lid and stick in your clean hands and massage all that tamarindo pulp around...make sure it's mashed up good and that it's released from the seeds.  Strain it into a pitcher that holds at least 2 quarts.  Press on the pulp and seeds to make sure you get all that great flavor out.  If you don't like the cloudy sediment (which is delicious and harmless), then strain it again, but this time set a damp coffee filter inside your strainer to hold all the larger sediment.

Add enough cold water to make 2 quarts.  Taste and if you like it sweeter, stir in a bit more crushed piloncillo.  Mi suegra sometimes just makes the water initially w/out the piloncillo and sets a whole cone of it in the water while it's sitting...letting it dissolve as it will.  You can do it either way...whatever you like!

That's it! Serve it nice and cold.

I store and serve it in my favorite clay pot, but I wanted to give you a clearer view of it, too...so here it is, a little more visible.


This is my entry into My Legume Love Affair from Susan at The Well Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Diana at A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa.

MLLA24

*I am also entering this in Recipe4Living's Summertime Sipper Contest (thanks Sophia!!)!

AND OF COURSE THIS IS MY REAL FOOD POST FOR TODAY...TWO FOR TUESDAYS!!
24TbadgeGIRLICHEF



Would you like to comment?

  1. A completely new drink to me...I have only tried tamarindo...can't remember at all how it tastes like...I gotta check them out next weekend when I go to the city.

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  2. What a great entry you posted! I added mine, too ... thanks for the invite ... :)

    foodfloozie.blogspot.com

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  3. Hey, Heather! What a great post. I've never had tamarindo - I'd heard of it once or twice, but wasn't sure what it was honestly. So, it was so fun to learn a little about it in this post. And the pictures are beautiful! I think next time I'm in the states I'm going to have to hunt down some tamarindo and give this a try!

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  4. aww....love those family connections and memories. I've never heard of tamarindo....I bet I could find some at my mexican market!
    I added my linky...I'm so excited. :)

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  5. I love aguas, any kind...great recipe...

    sweetlife

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  6. http://sweetlifebake.com/?p=349

    I would love to join two for tuesdays...if I am late..it's cool

    sweetlife

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  7. Great post - a laugh, a new ingredient to try, and lovely photos. What more could one ask for!...Oh yeah a blog hop. I hope I entered correctly. When do we see the results?

    http://onceuponafeast.blogspot.com/2010/06/two-for-tuesdays-real-food-blog-hop.html just in case I didn't add it right.

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  8. Oops, silly me, guess I should have had the coffee before I entered a comment. ;-D The others look awesome too. Willl keep checking back to see what else comes in.

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  9. Lovely and unique....
    What does it taste like? I am very curious....
    Talk to you soon! :)

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  10. I love tamarind! I just bought some concentrate because the real thing is IMPOSSIBLE to find here. This agua fresco sounds so refreshing.

    Just linked up for Two For Tuesday!

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  11. I've never tried tamarind, so this sounds so interesting to me! I've added a link to the Two for Tuesdays blog hop carnival also! Roz

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  12. I didn't even have to watch the clip, I totally remember that part of the Eddie Murphy skit. In fact, I think that's the ONLY part I remember! My kids would totally rather have McD's chicken nuggets than some home made healthy baked chicken nuggets at home.

    The drinks sounds awesome! Something I would have never thought of, thanks!

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  13. That Eddie Murphy thing had me in tears. So funny. Next time I go to McDonalds I'll definitly be doing the "McDonalds Dance". Too funny. I've never used tamarind pods. Shame on me, seen them at Whole Foods. Now I know what to do with them. Great post Heather.

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  14. Thanks for submitting this to MLLA!! Looks so yummy!!! Linked up one of my posts! Can't wait for next week :D

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  15. When Jenn of Leftover Queen sent me some tamarinds a few years ago I couldn't find anything on the net to prepare them. Now I know.

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  16. Escucha senora- ¿Dónde puedo encontrar

    puedo hacerlo!

    gracias :)

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  17. "If you don't have access to them" indeed. I don't have access to anything! :D It sounds awesome though, I loved that tamarind candy.

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  18. I've seen fresh tamarind at the market but confess have never even thought to buy it. Even though we do use tamarind. We are lazy and generally buy tamarind in packaged blocks already shucked (or is it shelled??) to put into curries. I haven't tried tamarind juice though. Sounds interesting. Thank you for posting about it.

    -Elizabeth

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  19. cool you have the real pods and everything now thats REAL food love Rebecca

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  20. Yum! Whole Foods has big boxes of the tamarindo and I am always tempted to buy them--this recipe gives me good reason.

    I just linked my Saturday post of homemade Fresh Ginger Ale with Lemongrass to Two For Tuesdays--since it is a natural, real food version of ginger ale. Thanks for hosting a fun event.

    ;-)

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  21. This entire post was an education. I never knew about tamarind and this was so cool to learn something new...and tasty!

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  22. This post is exactly why you should never stop blogging....I learn something new everytime. I have enjoyed tamarind in cooked dishes but, have never enjoyed it as a fresh drink or a chewy pod.
    You are right, if we only knew then, what we know now.

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  23. Awesome! I love the idea of letting the whole pilloncillo dissolve in the liquid. I usually injury myself in some small way by trying to bash or grate it.

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  24. Nice!! I love the taste of tamamrind. There a Filipino snack that I love that uses them. I'm trying to figure out how to make them.

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  25. That is one of my fave of his routines. Cracks me up every time. Been ages since I have seen it, so thanks!

    As for this, interesting, never heard of the "water" this way. Sounds kind of yum. And must say, all of the thumbnails here are making me crazy hungry. And making me start to wish I was talented enough to have a food blog!

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  26. Wow Heather! This is such a unique recipe! I love tamarinds in indian food chutneys, but never thought to make a beverage. Thanks so much Heather for joining in on the blog hop! You are a great compadre! Keep it Real! Alex

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  27. Great post. I never knew how agua fresca was made.
    Mimi

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  28. First of all, I love those clay pots! I've never tried anything like this, but I sure would love to.

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  29. I grew up eating tamarind in all forms, fresh when it's green, ripe and dried. They are terrific! I love the tartness and sweet caramel flavor.

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  30. Oh god, I love that Eddie Murphy bit! Thanks for the laugh this morning!

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  31. Very unusual. It is good to learn about new wonderful things to eat and drink. I just added my 2 for Tuesday, although a bit late. Great idea.

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  32. Hey there GirliChef, your MIL cooks the way I learned to cook from my mother and grandmother. Another agua fresca that I really like is Te de Jamaica.

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  33. Just in case...Te de Jamaica s Hibiscus Tea. :)

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  34. Such an excellent turn-out. I love this celebration of Real Food! I just recently discovered my love for Tamarind and will have to give this delicious sounding drink a try!

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  35. Nisrine...it is slightly tart, yet softly sweet...and refreshing! Does that help, LOL!? ;)

    Teresa...agua de jamaica is next on my list! =)

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  36. Wow, great job here. Awesome picture too! You should really consider submitting this to Recipe4Living's Summertime Sipper Contest! I think it could win!

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