Tamarind juice

Name: Tamarind juice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Levantine
Ingredients: 300 grams Dried tamarind; 5 cups hot water; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 cups ice cubes

Tamarind soaked, kneaded by hand, strained and sweetened — cold, tart and sweet.

Vegan

Cooking time: 25 min
Hands-on time: 10 min
Free time: 15 min
Difficulty: Easy
Cuisine: Levantine
Calories: 150

One of the best-known Ramadan drinks, with a tartness that refreshes after the fast. Kneading by hand in the soaking water is what frees the pulp from the fibers and seeds, and the fibers are pressed in the strainer down to the last drop.

Before you start

Before you beginRead the steps completely, measure the ingredients, and prepare the tools before turning on the heat or oven.
Timing the servingPrepare what you can in advance and leave the final touches until serving time to maintain the texture.

Ingredients

4people

Amounts follow the number of people

For the drink

300 grams Dried tamarind — In blocks
5 cups hot water
1/2 cup sugar — to taste
2 cups ice cubes

The quantity can be doubled, adjusting the sweetness after tasting, and adding ice to each cup when serving.

Equipment

Soaking bowl — Hot water softens the tamarind before you rub it.
Fine strainer — Press the fibers against it to get all the pulp out.

Method

Soak the tamarind in hot water until it softens completely.
15 minYou can walk away
You’ll know it’s ready when
The blocks have broken up and the pulp has come away from the seeds.
Rub it with your hands in the soaking water to free the pulp from the fibers and seeds.
5 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
The water has turned a thick brown.
Tip: Rubbing by hand draws out twice what the sieve alone does.
Strain it through a fine sieve, pressing on the fibers, then dissolve the sugar in it.
4 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
The drink is a clear brown with no fibers.
Chill it and serve over ice.
1 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
Cold, with a balanced sweet-sour taste.