Storing tamarind paste?

elsien

My local Asian shop has bags of tamarind paste- not the jars that you have to use in a month, but squidgy brown stuff in a plastic bag. The sealed bag has a use by date of 2015, but nothing to say how to keep it once opened? Any idea how long it might last for?

BitterAndTwisted

From what I've read, if it comes in a block rather than the jars, if stored in a cool, dry place it will keep almost indefinitely. From this quote: "I have both the tamarind concentrate, that comes in a plastic jar, and the tamarind that comes in flat blocks either with stone or without. Both I leave out at room temp. on a shelf. The block tamarind, I place in a zip lock bag. Both have an infinite shelf life". From this link:

https://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?30203-Tamarind-storage

Steve059

Tamarind is the seed pods of the Tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica). Its English name comes from the Arabic, tamar hind, meaning "Indian date". It’s similar to a date, but it has a sour taste when green, becoming sweeter as it ripens. It’s high in vitamin B and, exceptionally for a fruit, calcium.

It’s used in HP sauce and Worcestershire sauce. It’s also a mild laxative.

You can buy ready-to-use tamarind in South-East Asian supermarkets. However, it tends to have oxidized to a dark brown colour. Once opened, it will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

You can also buy it as tamarind extract, to which you just add water. This is very long lasting and very convenient, but very expensive.

The best and cheapest way to buy tamarind is in blocks, which need to be mixed with a little water and then squeezed to get the juice out. A block of tamarind, kept in an airtight container and in a cool, dark place, like a cupboard, will last almost indefinitely without refrigeration. When buying a block of tamarind, gently squeeze the package. A softer package is usually fresher, moister, will be easier to work with and yield more and better-tasting juice. At the time of writing, ASDA sell 200g blocks for 60p.

How much tamarind and water to use depends on how much of the tamarind block is soft pulp and how much is seeds. A good starting point seems to be 1 teaspoon of tamarind to 1 tablespoon of warm water.

Break off a small piece of tamarind and put it in the water. Use your fingers to knead and mush the soft pulp, so that it melts into the water. Gather up the pulp and seeds with your hand, squeeze out the remaining juice and discard the pulp and seeds.

You should end up with a thick light brown fluid. Too thick is better than too thin. If it is too thin, it will just add unwanted liquid and not enough of the desired sour flavour to the dish.

You can make tamarind water in advance, as it will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

elsien

Thanks, much appreciated.