Photograph of the finished Agua de tamarindo

Mexico · Nước me đá Agua de tamarindo

Agua de tamarindo

30 min Hands-on time + 2 hr waiting
EasyDifficulty
6 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Sour tamarind Sour tamarind 1.3 lb
  • Photograph of Sugar Sugar 15.5 oz
  • Photograph of Cinnamon and star anise Cinnamon and star anise 0.4 oz
  • Photograph of Lime Lime 2
  • Photograph of Salt Salt 0.3 oz
  • Photograph of Red chilli powder Red chilli powder 0.7 oz

Method

  1. 1 Soak the tamarind in 500 ml of hot water for 30 minutes, then squeeze out the pulp and strain it through a sieve.
  2. 2 Strain the mixture twice through a sieve to remove all the peels and seeds; any peels will leave the drink bitter and grainy.
  3. 3 Boil the strained tamarind juice with sugar and cinnamon sticks for 8 minutes, then remove the cinnamon sticks.
  4. 4 Dilute with 700 ml of cold water and add a pinch of salt to enhance the sour taste.
  5. 5 Let it chill for 2 hours, then squeeze in the lemon juice before pouring.
  6. 6 Pour into a glass with ice and sprinkle chili salt around the rim, Mexican style.

With an appliance

  • Microwave 27 min

    Replace step 3: add filtered tamarind juice, sugar, and cinnamon sticks to a deep bowl, microwave at 900W for 5 minutes, stirring once in the middle; this is faster, about 3 minutes, so the sugar dissolves evenly and you don't have to watch for boiling over. Steps 4–6 still involve diluting, chilling, and adding lemon after cooling.

Start cooking