With modern refrigeration, there is no need to make fresh tamarind liquid each time you need it. Just as some cooks freeze cubes of stock for when they need only a small amount, I keep a stash of frozen cubes of tamarind liquid on hand. They cut down on prep time and can be used whenever a dish needs some tartness. For information on buying tamarind pulp, see page 333.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 3 cups

　　1 package (14 or 16 ounces) seedless tamarind pulp, broken into 6 chunks

　　4 cups water

　　

Step 1

In a small saucepan, combine the tamarind pulp and water over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to steep and soften for about 30 minutes, or until you can easily press the pulp against the side of the pan with a fork.

　　

Step 2

Roughly break up the pulp to make it easier to strain. Position a coarse-mesh sieve over a bowl and pour in the tamarind. Using a rubber spatula or metal spoon, vigorously stir and press the solids against the mesh to force as much of the pulp through as possible. If necessary, return the pulp to the saucepan, add some of the already-strained liquid, stir to loosen up more of the pulp, and then work it through the sieve again. When the pulp is spent, discard the fibrous left overs. The resulting liquid will resemble chocolate cake batter.

　　

Step 3

Use the liquid immediately, or pour into ice-cube trays and freeze. Note how much each tamarind cube contains; it is typically about 2 tablespoons. Once the cubes are frozen hard, transfer them to a zip-top plastic bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. To make sure you use the correct amount of the liquid in a recipe, always measure it again before adding it.

　　Reprinted with permission from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors by Andrea Nguyen. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Copyright © 2006.  Photographs by Leigh Beisch. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.