A few months back (out in WA state) She Who Must Be Obeyed got on a pad thai kick and I pestered our favorite local Thai food haunts for their secrets to mouth-wateringly good, authentic pad thai.
As expected there were several such secrets, one of which was the use of tamarind pulp, a less common ingredient in the archetypal gringo kitchen but essential for many wonderful foods – pad thai for one – as well as a number of tasty dishes from south of the (American) border. (We learned the basics about tamarind the best way – by making a mess with seed pods and pulp blocks in the kitchen.)
Tamarind popped up again on our radar this week when a friend emailed on Monday from Alaska asking for help in fleshing out a ‘boat drink party’ recipe list; turns out he was looking for ‘unconventional’ margarita recipes in particular.
He brushed off my implications of weakness on his part, having to resort to boat drinks in volume to manage a long winter so early in the season, simply stating “duty is a cruel master”, which happens to be a classic line from a great movie (The Hallelujah Trail).
As luck would have it, back in the tamarind frenzy, after consulting chef friend Libby for tips and tricks to smooth the process, she had shared this recipe for a Tamarind Margarita she often serves at catered parties in Austin. It’s amazingly good, showcasing tamarind’s unique sweet-tart flavor profile with a bucketful of fresh citrus along for the ride.
Hunt down a tamarind pulp block and you’ll be shaking up a batch or two of these winter-blues-busting cocktails in no time.
1 tbsp. (generous) tamarind pulp
4 tbsp. water
1 cup blanco tequila
2 tbsp. superfine sugar
Crushed ice
1 cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup Cointreau
3 tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. kosher salt with optional lime zest
4 lime wedges
Make the tamarind magic. Break a roughly 1 tbsp.-sized hunk off the tamarind pulp block and simmer in the water in a small saucepan over low heat for 10 minutes or so (the pulp needs to pretty much dissolve). Press thru a fine sieve into a shaker.
Shake, shake, shake. Add half the tequila and the sugar; shake like crazy. Add ice, 2/3 of the lime juice, the Cointreau, orange juice and the rest of the measured tequila. Shake like crazy.
Rim and pour. Use the rest of the lime juice and the salt to rim 4 old fashioned glasses, fill with ice, strain the elixir in and garnish with a lime wedge.
Enjoy.
