Tamarind, a tropical fruit native to Asia, looks sort of like a brown fava bean with a hard tan shell that surrounds a sticky, meaty brown flesh. The fruit is often mixed with chile, and I found more than three dozen different candies made from it. Tamarind sorbet has a seductive tartness that comes through in this smooth nieve.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 5 cups
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Remove the outer hard shell from the tamarinds and discard the “strings” that are attached to the flesh. Place the tamarind flesh or pulp in a pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Adjust the heat to maintain a constant simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle.
Step 2
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (don’t wash the sieve just yet because you’ll be using it for the pulp) and measure the liquid. Add enough water to make 4 cups. Return the liquid to the pot, add the sugar, and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves (don’t let the mixture come to a boil). Remove from the heat.
Step 3
Press the pulp through the sieve with your hand, a spoon, or a spatula to extract as much as possible. Discard the seeds and add the pulp to the pot. Stir to combine. Chill over an ice bath until cool. Refrigerate, covered, until completely cool, about 2 hours, and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
