On Thu, 8 Jul 2010 09:17:10 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:


>For those of us living in the boonies, where do we find palm sugar and
>tamarind sauce, or what can we sub for it?
>
>Any good online sources?
>
>Thanks.

Brown sugar can be subbed for the palm, as can white sugar or even
honey. It is there for sweetness, basically.

The tamarind paste is trickier as it imparts a bit of the sour flavor
along with fruitiness.

There are many recipes for substitutes online, that call for varying
combos of fruits (see a link below,) but if it is only a small amount,
frankly, I'd use balsamic vinegar in a pinch.

I am fortunate in that I can get most Thai ingredients readily, but
some are elusive. I grow my own kefir lime leaves and lemon grass, and
stock tamarind in a couple of pastes/syrups so they are handy.

Trickier are items such as Thai dried shrimp or pickled radish or
banana blossom.

Boron