Tamarind
4 recipes found
Sweet Chili Baby Back Ribs
Ted Liberda grew up in the Kansas City suburbs, the son of a Thai restaurateur and a Midwestern backyard pitmaster. He opened Buck Tui BBQ in suburban Overland Park, Kan., with his wife, Pam, who immigrated from Lampang, Thailand, nearly 30 years ago and met Ted in one of his family’s restaurants. The menu reflects who they are with its blend of Thai and Midwestern influences. They season their baby back ribs, which are more tender and forgiving than the traditional Kansas City spare ribs, with a coriander-forward rub inspired by a jerky seasoning from Pam’s hometown. Then, they glaze them with a Thai-inspired sweet chili sauce while they cook in a cloud of Missouri hickory and oak smoke. The Liberdas have made ribs this way at home for years, and the layers of flavor in their recipe come together just as well in a Weber Kettle as they do in Buck Tui’s commercial-grade smokers.
Nashif Rubian (Tamarind-Tomato Shrimp)
This richly sauced, tangy shrimp recipe from Bahrain is characteristic of the island’s love for dishes that are well-spiced, herb-heavy and slightly sour. “Nashif rubian” means “dry shrimp” in Arabic, referring to the sauce that gets cooked down until thick and rich. Traditionally, nashif rubian is scooped up with Arabic khobez (or flatbread), but some fluffy white rice will also do well to soak up the flavorful sauce. If you like spice, then finely chop up the green chiles rather than adding them whole. It is well worth sourcing tamarind pulp for this recipe, which you can find sold in blocks at most South Asian grocery stores.
Chamoy
Chamoy, a vibrant and tangy family of sauces and condiments from Mexico, is traditionally made with fruit and mild dried chiles (and sometimes mango, tamarind or hibiscus flowers as well). To make your own at home, grab those stone fruits on your counter and simmer them with dried chiles until softened, then blend with sugar, tamarind, vinegar and orange juice into something electric and tangy. Taste along the way to dial in the sweetness and tartness, so it’s exactly as jammy or restrained as you want. Just like tajín, chamoy makes a delicious accent for watermelon, jicama and cucumber spears. It’s also delicious drizzled over fruit salad, layered into mangonadas or used on the rim of micheladas. Think of chamoy as the syrup on a sundae, but much more thrilling in flavor.
Tamarind Glazed Oxtails
Inspired by her time working at a restaurant on the island of St. John in the Virgin Islands, this recipe from the chef Lana Lagomarsini, pairs unctuous braised oxtails with the tart flavor of tamarind to create this hearty, luxurious braise. “We would pick tamarind fruit right off of the tree behind the restaurant and I fell in love with its flavor,” the chef remembers. It can be paired with Ms. Lagomarsini’s punchy chow chow recipe, and is also perfect atop a bed of rice and peas, or fungi, a Caribbean cornmeal and okra side dish. Any addition, really, makes this meal feel abundant and celebratory.