Dried Tamarind Pods
 

I see dried tamarind pods at the store all the time, and I want to get
some, but I don't know what to do with them. Any suggestions would be
appreciated. I'm sure I've eaten them in many things, but didn't know it.
Frank in Austin

Mexicans make a
drink called "tamarindo" from the pods...

After I watched deer eating the pods in a local park, I decided to try
eating the seeds raw...

They tasted pretty good...

I watched a Mexican man picking tamarind pods off of a tamarindo tree
that was planted for decoration, but his English was no better than my
Spanish, so I couldn't tell what he planned to do with the pods...

"krusty kritter" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Mexicans make a
> drink called "tamarindo" from the pods...
>
> After I watched deer eating the pods in a local park, I decided to try
> eating the seeds raw...
>
> They tasted pretty good...
>
> I watched a Mexican man picking tamarind pods off of a tamarindo tree
> that was planted for decoration, but his English was no better than my
> Spanish, so I couldn't tell what he planned to do with the pods...

Agua de Tamarindo
A non-alcoholic drink from Mexico made tamarind pods.
Makes: 4 servings

I N G R E D I E N T S
8 large (8 ounces) fresh tamarind pods
1/2 cup granulated sugar (or more as desired)
I N S T R U C T I O N S
Bring 1 quart of water to a boil then add the flowers and the sugar
and stir continuously while the mixture boils for one minute. Pour
into a noncorrosive bowl and steep for approximately 2 hours. This
time may be as little as 1 hour for very
fresh pods and 2 1/2 hours for older pods.

Use your hand or a spoon and break up the softened pods to free
the pulp and the seeds.

Finish:
Strain the mixture through a sieve pressing on the flower solids to
extract as much liquid as possible. Taste for strength and
sweetness. If it is too potent, add water or if too tart add more sugar.
Cover and refrigerate until time to serve. Stir before serving

Ernie