Mix equal amounts of lime juice and brown sugar.

The lime juice replicates the sour taste in tamarind paste, while the brown sugar adds sweetness. You might have these ingredients on hand already, which makes this mixture a convenient option. Use as a 1:1 substitute for tamarind paste.įurther reading: 11 Worcestershire Sauce Substitutes 2. You’ll want to thicken the Worcestershire sauce to resemble tamarind paste’s consistency by adding a few simple ingredients: Tamarind paste can be used to make Worcestershire sauce and they have similar flavor profiles, so it works well as a substitute. However, if you can’t find any or don’t want to leave your house, these substitutes will do the trick. If tamarind is the main ingredient in a dish, it’s best to get your hands on the real thing. To mimic the taste of tamarind paste, you will need to use ingredients that have sweet and sour flavor profiles. Tamarind paste is also used in desserts–in Mexico, the pulp is used to make agua fresca and chili powder candy. You can mix it with herbs and spices and add it to chutneys, curries, and sauces (it’s a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce). Tamarind paste works well as a marinade for meat and poultry since it softens the meat and brings flavor. It also has citrus and caramel undertones, and the consistency of molasses.ĭifferent ingredients can be mixed with tamarind paste to bring out different flavors – for example, sugar will enhance its sweetness, and lime will add to its acidity. Tamarind paste has a sweet and sour flavor, and the riper the tamarind is, the sweeter the fruit will be. Tamarind is rich in Vitamin C, a potent antioxidant, and used as a natural laxative. The tamarind tree produces long, brown pods that look a bit like peanuts, and the paste is made by extracting the fleshy pulp within. Tamarind paste comes from the fruit of the tamarind tree, which is native to tropical Africa and now grows in South Asia, Mexico, and Central America. Things About Tamarind Paste You May Like What Is Tamarind Paste? But if the Pad Thai craving strikes and you don’t have any, there’s a variety of tamarind paste substitutes to choose from. You can obtain tamarind paste online or in grocery stores. Sweet, sour, and fruity, tamarind paste is primarily used in Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin cooking. Whether you want a bit of different flavour, a direct substitute or just something you can easily get your hands on you have a few options for tamarind substitutes in pad Thai.Have you ever tried to make Pad Thai, curry, or chutney? If so, you know these dishes rely on a key ingredient for their flavor: tamarind paste. Once the pulp starts to look like paste you can drain any excess water and use in your pad Thai. If your pulp has seeds this is the point you will remove them.

Allow the pulp to soak until it becomes soft then gently rub the pulp in your hands. All you need is 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp and half a cup of warm water. This is not a difficult task but you have the option of avoiding it. If you can get the pulp with seeds removed else you will have to remove the seeds yourself. If you’re fortunate enough to have access to a retailer who has tamarind pulp you could make your very own tamarind paste. Mix equal parts water and amchur powder to create a paste before adding to your pad Thai. It will give you a combination of fruity, acidic and sour flavours which are all found in tamarind paste. Use this molasses in equal quantities as tamarind paste.Īmchur powder is made from drying and powdering unripe mangoes and it could work as a substitute for tamarind paste in pad Thai. So if you make your pad Thai with sweetened tamarind paste or are a fan of the sweet and sour flavour combination pomegranate molasses will make a good tamarind paste substitute for you. This sweet and sour flavour makes it a suitable substitute in Asian recipes which usually play on the contrast and pad Thai is no exception. It has a sweet and sour flavour similar to sweetened tamarind paste varieties and is widely available. It is a thick, dark sauce that is made by reducing pomegranate sauce. If you can’t get your hands on lemon juice, lime juice and apple cider vinegar make good alternatives for this mix.Īnother good tamarind paste substitute in pad Thai if you are looking for a flavour match is pomegranate molasses. It’s best to use freshly squeezed lemon juice as opposed to the bottled variety. You will need to put together 2 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, half a cup of tomato paste, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. If your problem is with the availability of tamarind paste you can make this homemade substitute sauce from things that are much easier to find.

Replacement for tamarind paste