Tamarind Sauce

Name: Tamarind Sauce
Cuisine: Trinidadian
Ingredients: 7 oz (200 g) block tamarind pulp; 2 cups (480 ml) boiling water; ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, or to taste; 3 cloves garlic, finely grated; ½ Scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped, or to taste; ½ tsp ground cumin (geera); ½ tsp salt; 2 tbsp finely chopped chadon beni (culantro) or cilantro

Sweet, sour and peppery tamarind sauce for doubles, pholourie and bake and shark.

Sides and Condiments

1 hr 5 min est.
Easy

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Trini

1 October 2026

12 October 2026

Tamarind sauce is the sweet-sour dipping sauce that turns up next to doubles, pholourie, saheena and aloo pies. It is made from tamarind pulp cooked with sugar, garlic, a little hot pepper and chadon beni, and it keeps for weeks in the fridge.

Tamarind is sold as a pressed block of pulp with seeds, as whole pods, or as concentrate. Blocks give the best flavour.

The recipe

Tamarind Sauce

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Soaking: 30 min
Total: 1 hr 5 min
Makes: About 1½ cups

Times and quantities are our best estimates. This recipe is still being kitchen-tested, so trust your eyes and taste as you go.

Ingredients

Tick items off as you gather them.

7 oz (200 g) block tamarind pulp
2 cups (480 ml) boiling water
½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, or to taste
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
½ Scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped, or to taste
½ tsp ground cumin (geera)
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp finely chopped chadon beni (culantro) or cilantro

Method

Break the tamarind into pieces in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave for 30 minutes, then squeeze and mash the pulp with your fingers to loosen it from the seeds.
Push the mixture through a sieve into a saucepan, scraping the underside. Discard the seeds and fibres.
Add the sugar, garlic, pepper, cumin and salt. Simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens to the consistency of ketchup.
Taste and adjust the sugar and salt. Stir in the chadon beni and leave to cool.

Serve it with

Doubles, pholourie, aloo pies and bake and shark

Substitutions

Tamarind concentrate: use about 4 tbsp and skip the soaking and straining; add water to thin.

Storing and reheating

Keep in a clean, covered jar in the fridge. Use a clean spoon each time.

Cook's notes

The sauce thickens as it cools, so stop cooking while it is still a little runny.

https://trinbagorecipes.com/recipes/tamarind-sauce/

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