Iced tamarind water is a favourite drink in Mexico and Central America and with good reason; it is one of those perfect summer drinks, tart and refreshing.

Agua de Tamarindo (Tamarind Iced Drink)

Tamarind water isn’t all that photogenic –  often it looks like brown sludge – but it tastes a lot better than it looks! You need to stir this drink, or the ‘sludge’ (and flavour) will settle on the bottom.

an ‘agua de tamarindo’ in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

The recipe is simple:

3 Tbsp. tamarind paste
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar*
2 Tbsp. water

*In Mexico and Central America they often use ‘piloncillo‘, an unrefined sugar produced in cone shapes.

• Heat in a small pot until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Put in a pitcher with some ice cubes and dilute with water ‘to taste’. That’s it!

‘Tamarindo Puro’ in the Alajuela Mercado

Another recipe for tamarind water with an Indian twist at: http://thepatternedplate.wordpress.com/2013/07/23/tamarind-cooler/

I bought this jar of tamarind paste (without the seeds) down at Granville Island – it comes from Thailand where it is an ingredient in traditional ‘Pad Thai’.

You can also use tamarind paste in this Pad Thai recipe that I got from the Thai Cultural Association cooking demonstrations in 1993.

They use ketchup in this version of Pad Thai, but if you would like to try a more traditional recipe add 2 Tbsp. of tamarind paste, and don’t bother with the lime wedges at the end – the tamarind paste is quite sour compared to ketchup.

Tamarind pods contain the gooey paste and lots of seeds