This homemade candy is the kind sold at regional fairs in Mexico. Although in some places it is sold in miniature clay cazuelas, it is better cut up and individually wrapped in cellophane, since it is not recommended to keep acidic foods, such as tamarind and tomato, in clay vessels.
Ingredients
- 3 cups hot water
- 1 ½ cups tamarind paste
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons powdered chile or Tajín Fruit seasoning
- pinch salt
Mix the water and tamarind paste and let the mixture set for 1 hour. Pass it through cheese cloth (manta de cielo) and squeeze to extract as much liquid as possible.
Boil the mixture to reduce it to 2 cups. Add the brown sugar and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until dissolved. Add the powdered chile and a pinch of salt.
Cook the mixture until it registers 244ª F on a candy thermometer. Pour it onto a non-stick baking tray and let it set at room temperature. When set, cut it into pieces of desired size and wrap the pieces individually in cellophane. Store in an airtight tin such as a cookie tin.
Link to source articles
- Cooking in Puerto Escondido: Fish and fruit from Mexico’s tropics
- Tart, tasty tamarind: From candy to cocktails
