What you will need
Yield: 4 small glasses (about 4 cups before ice). Final volume changes with fruit, straining, and liquid adjustments.
75 g plain unsweetened tamarind pulp block, including any seeds
10 g fresh ginger, washed and thinly sliced- 2 cups water for extracting the pulp (480 ml)
- Cold drinking water to bring strained drink to 4 cups (960 ml total)
- Optional: 1–2 tablespoons sugar, to taste
- Ice for serving; optional washed mint sprigs for garnish
How to make it
Break the tamarind block into smaller pieces and put it in a heat-safe bowl. Inspect the ingredient label: this method is for plain fruit pulp, not a sweetened sauce, chutney, or highly concentrated liquid.
Put 2 cups water and the sliced ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and gently simmer for 3 minutes. Pour the hot ginger water over the tamarind. Cover and let it soften for 15 minutes.
When comfortable to handle, use a spoon or potato masher to loosen the pulp in the water. Do not put hard tamarind seeds into a blender. The mixture can look thick and fibrous at this point.
Set a fine sieve over a heat-safe measuring jug. Pour in the mixture and press gently with a spoon to extract the pulp and liquid. Discard the seeds, tough fibers, and ginger pieces caught in the sieve.
While the liquid is still warm, stir in 1 tablespoon sugar if using. Add cold drinking water to bring the total strained drink to 4 cups. Taste, adding more water or the second tablespoon of sugar only if wanted.
Let the drink stop steaming, then refrigerate promptly or serve over ice in suitable glasses. Stir the jug before pouring; some settling is normal. Do not pour very hot liquid directly into a cold ordinary drinking glass.
What's in this drink
- Tamarind: USDA reports 0.428 mg thiamin (B1) and 92 mg magnesium when the reference quantity of tamarind is 100 g. USDA: Tamarinds, raw.
- Fresh ginger: USDA reports 0.226 mg copper and 43 mg magnesium when the reference quantity of fresh ginger is 100 g. USDA: Ginger root, raw.
Nutrient figures are per 100 g of the USDA reference ingredient, not per serving.
Straining and dilution change this tamarind ginger cooler, so fiber or minerals listed for raw ingredients cannot be assumed to remain in the same amounts.
Storage
Cover and refrigerate leftovers promptly. Follow the storage directions on opened packaged ingredients. FoodSafety.gov recommends refrigerating perishable food within two hours, or one hour above 90°F, and keeping the refrigerator at 40°F or below.
Short FAQ
Can I skip the sugar?
Yes. Make the strained, diluted base first and taste it. If unsweetened tamarind is too tart for you, dilute a little or choose a smaller serving; you do not have to use the full suggested sugar amount.
Can I blend the whole softened block?
Only fruit material that is completely free of hard seeds and fibers should be considered for blending. This recipe uses mashing and straining so a blender is unnecessary.
Is this tamarind juice?
Names vary in everyday use. We call this version a cooler because it combines strained tamarind, ginger, water, and optional sweetener for a chilled mixed drink.