Latin-Style Tamarind Syrup

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound dried tamarind pods (with their shell)
• 2 cups boiling water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Instructions

1. 1

   Remove the outer pod from the tamarinds, discard, and place the pulp in a bowl. Cover them with 2 cups boiling water and let them sit anywhere from 2 to 24 hours.

2. 2

   With your hands, clean then tamarinds of the large seeds and strains/threads. Strain in a colander, pressing with your hands or a spoon to get as much pulp as possible.

3. 3

   Place the resulting tamarind juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, add the sugar, and let it simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes. The juice should have thickened considerably, to a thick syrup consistency.

4. 4

   Squeeze in the fresh lime juice, let it simmer for a couple more minutes and let it cool. Refrigerate and store in a tight lid container. The concentrate will keep for months.