Product Pick of the Month: Tamarind Paste
Around about this time of year I’m looking for a little brightness, some relief from the cool, gray Pacific Northwest skies. I pop on an orange jacket or a pink scarf. I thrill to the daffodil buds just a few hours of sunlight away from splashing their yellowness in my neighbor’s yard. And I’m ready to awaken my palate, too, with brighter flavors like lemon, sorrel and the first red strawberries of the year.
Tomato Tamarind Beef served over steamed cauliflower
While I’m waiting, though, for berries and asparagus and peas to hit the farmers markets, I can hit up my pantry for a bit of tang from a jar of tamarind paste. If you haven’t tried cooking with tamarind, I’d like to introduce you to this versatile flavoring with health benefits, to boot.
Tamarind pods
Flavor powerhouse
Tamarind, like lemon, has an astringent flavor, but with a hint of apricots and dates, so it is both sweet and sour. The tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica), which grows in the tropics, offers up three- to six-inch bean pods and the sticky, brown pulp surrounding the beans is what we’re after. You can easily find tamarind – in the pod, in jars and in small bricks of paste – in Asian markets, but these days many grocery stores sell jars of tamarind paste, often in their Asian foods section. It can also be found in Mexican markets, since it’s an ingredient in south-of-the-border cuisine, as well as Indian and Thai cooking.
Even if you weren’t aware of it, you’ve probably had tamarind before. It’s the “secret ingredient” in Worcestershire sauce.
Tamicon is a common brand of tamarind paste or concentrate
Aunt Patty’s tamarind paste
It’s more than just taste
Tamarind offers up a menu of health benefits, as well as packing in some powerful flavor. It aids in digestion, so combining it with meat, as in the recipe below, makes sense. It’s used in traditional medicine to reduce fever, as an antiseptic or laxative. Tamarind can be made into a tea that combats morning sickness, with or without a little sweetener. I’m years beyond that affliction, but I enjoy stirring a teaspoon or so of tamarind paste into a cup of hot water. I’m sipping on it as I write!
The brand I’m using, Aunt Patty’s, is tart but with flavors of molasses and just a hint of smokiness. Very unusual and a nice change from herbal tea.
Because a jar of tamarind paste has a virtually unlimited shelf life (refrigerate after opening) it’s a handy go-to when you want an easy burst of flavor. Beyond tea and this recipe, tamarind can be added to soups, stews, curries, marinades and dressings for your own “secret ingredient.” I’ll leave it to you whether to disclose it or not!
Enjoy this long-simmered dish. It cooks for hours, but your investment of time can be just minutes. If you can’t find beef shanks, use lamb shanks or any other kind of meat suitable for long, slow cooking, like brisket, chuck roast, pork shoulder or bone-in chicken.
Zingy Tamarind Tomato Beef
As with most soups, stews and braises, the flavor improves when reheated, so making this a day ahead.
- 4 ½ to 5 pounds beef shanks, about 2” thick
- 2 tablespoons lard, or other fat suitable for heating
- 2 cups beef or chicken broth
- 2 15-oz. cans (or 1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes)
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup tamarind paste
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce (optional but nice for added flavor)
In a large Dutch oven with lid, melt the fat over medium high heat. Brown the beef on both sides. This may need to be done in batches. Place browned beef and the remainder of the ingredients in the pot and stir to mix. Cover the pot and place in preheated 200° oven for 5 to 6 hours, or until meat is very tender and falls off the bone.
Remove from oven and serve or refrigerate and reheat.
