RECIPE - Tamarind Batida (Batida de Tamarindo)

If you ask almost anyknowledgeable cocktail enthusiast to free associate the words "Brazil" and "cocktail", chances are almost certain that the word that will pop out of his or her mouth will be "caipirinha." This combination of crushed whole limes, cachaça (a liquor distilled from sugar cane), sugar and ice is Brazil's most famous cocktail export and can be found on bar menus around the world.

But the caipirinha is not Brazil's only cachaça cocktail. There's a whole other family of cachaça plus fruit juice drinks that are enjoyed throught Brazil - drinks called batidas (prounced bah-CHEE-das). What distinguished a batida from a caipirinha is the addition of a touch of sweetened condensed milk. There are as many flavors of batidas as there are fruits in Brazil, which means there are theoretically thousands of possible batidas. The most popular are probably lime (limão) and passion fruit (maracujá) but any fruit that strikes one's fancy is suitable. Flavors of Brazil recently tried a cashew fruit (caju) batida and it was wonderful.

Since we've been publishing tamarind recipes this week, we thought we might as well post a recipe for tamarind batida. But please don't limit yourself to this one fruit if you decide you like batidas. Try any fruit that you can blend, whether tropical or not. As they say, "It's all good."
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RECIPE - Tamarind Batida (Batida de Tamarindo)
Makes 1 drink

2 oz (50 ml) cachaça
1 1/2 oz (35 ml) tamarind juice (or any other fruit juice)
1 oz (25 ml) canned sweetened condensed milk
ice cubes
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Put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with a tight lid. Shake vigorously for two minutes. Pour through a strainer into a chilled cocktail glass - martini or similar. Serve immediately.

If desired you can pour the drink over fresh ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass.

RECIPE - Lamb Loin with Tamarind Sauce (Lombo de Cordeiro ao Molho de Tamarindo)

This recipe for rare-cooked loin of lamb with a sweet-and-sour tamarind sauce is the creation of chef Jeff Colas from Maison do Bomfim restaurant in the charming baroque city of Olinda in the state of Pernambuco. With a marvelously-preserved architectural heritage and brightly painted houses that line the steep cobblestone streets of the town, Olinda has long been an artists' colony and in recent years has become a favorite vacation spot for tourists whose interests go beyond beach, sun and sand. Many of the historic homes of Olinda have been turned into art galleries, artisan shops, inns or restaurants.

Olinda

Lamb isn't often seen on restaurant menus in Brazil - in fact in traditional Brazilian cooking goat sits in the place that lamb occupies in many cultures' culinary pantheon. But when you find it, it can be very good indeed. This dish pairs the meat with a sauce made from tamarind juice. The sharp acidity of the juice cuts the  fattiness of the meat, and the sugar softens its bite. Because the sauce is very rich (it uses dark beer as its primary liquid) and the lamb is too, it's best to serve this in relatively small portions and to accompany it with steamed vegetables rather than a starch.

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RECIPE - Lamb Loin with Tamarind Sauce (Lombo de Cordeiro ao Molho de Tamarindo)
4 portions

For the lamb:
3 Tbsp butter
2 invidual lamb loins, boneless
coarse salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

For the sauce:
1/2 cup (100 gr) granulated white sugar
3/4 cup (200 ml) tamarind juice
3/4 cup (200 ml) dark beer
2 cups (500 ml) water
3 basil leaves
3 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 whole small chili pepper (jalapeno or serrano)
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In a medium sauce pan combine all the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer the sauce for 40 minutes, or until it has reduced in volume by half. Remove from heat, discard all the solid ingredients, and reserve.

Season the lamb loins with the salt and pepper to taste. In a non-stick frying pan melt the butter and when it's hot and bubbling but not smoking add the lamb loins. Sear them on all sides over high heat, working quickly to turn them in the melted butter. Do not overcook - the lamb should be rare inside. When seared, remove from the heat, and reserve the loins, keeping them warm.

Bring the reserved sauce quickly to a boil. While heating the sauce, cut each lamb loin into thick slices. Plate the slices decoratively, then drizzle the sauce over them and serve immediately. Pass the remaining sauce in a gravy boat for those who wish more sauce.

RECIPE - Tamarind Juice (Suco de Tamarindo)

photo from Come-se

One of the most refreshing tropical juices there is, a glass of chilled, acid-sweet tamarind juice over ice in a tall glass will revive flagging spirits in the hottest of climes. There's nothing that "hits the spot" when the heat becomes unsupportable like a glass of tamarind juice, and Brazilians by the millions use the juice to keep cool in this tropical country.

Here in Brazil making tamarind juice is a snap, because every supermarket carries small packets of frozen tamarind pulp. The pulp is pure fruit and is unsweetened and without preservatives. To make juice, you just need to pop one or two packets in the blender, add sugar to taste and the amount of water suggested on the packet - blend it for a minute or so and bingo! you've got chilled tamarind juice ready for the glass.

For those who don't have access to these frozen packets, it's still easy to make tamarind juice at home, although it does take a bit more time (including time to cool the juice). In Asian and Latin markets everywhere you can buy packages of partially dehydrated tamarind pulp, usually containing seeds as well. Here's a picture of a typical package:

The way to use this pulp is to put as much as you need in a mixing bowl, boil some water, and the pour just enough water over the pulp to cover it. Let the bowl stand for a minimum of thirty minutes. Using another bowl with a sieve over over it, pour the contents of the first bowl into the sieve. Let drain, then using a wooden spoon, press the pulp to extract as much juice as possible. Continue to press until you have only seeds left in the sieve.

Let the sieved pulp cool, then add as much water as desired to reach juice consistency. Sweeten to taste and chill well in the refrigerator.

FRUITS OF BRAZIL - Tamarind (Tamarindo)

reconstituted tamarind pulp

Of the many species of tropical fruit trees, none is more widely distributed than Tamarindus indica, which is known in English as the tamarind tree and in Portuguese as the tamarindeiro. Although its scientific name would indicate that it is native to India (indica) it actually originated in the savannas of Africa and still grows wild there. It was carried to South Asian in earliest times and today the Indian subcontinent is where the majority of the world's tamarind tress grow. It is also extensively cultivated in the North and Northeast of Brazil, and was brought to this country from India by Portuguese navigators, traveling from India to Brazil by way of Portugal.

The tamarind tree is valued not just for its fruits, but also as an ornamental tree. The tree is slow-growing and reaches tremendous age and size. It can reach up to 100 feet (30 meters) high, with a spread of 40 feet (12 meters) and trunks have been measured up to 25 feet (approx. 8 meters) in circumference. Its foliage is bright green, fine and feathery. The fruit, which is actually an elongated seed pod, is a velvety light brown with a juicy, acidic pulp surrounding the seeds in immature fruits. In dried, mature fruits, the pulp becomes less liquid and more of a paste than a pulp.

Tamarind pulp is valued in traditional Brazilian cuisine, and in many tropical cuisines elsewhere, for its acidity, which perks up and enlivens a dish just as a splash of fresh lime or lemon juice does. It is an important ingredient in sauces, preserves and chutneys. Part of the flavor profile of Worcestershire sauce comes from the presence of tamarind. The pulp can also be thinned out with water and sweetened with sugar to make a refreshing tart drink. This tamarind "juice" is very popular in the heat of northern Brazil and is considered to have significant cooling properties. Brazilians often "prescribe" tamarind juice for digestive problems.

The tamarind does have scientifically proven medicinal value, for many purposes, not just as a digestive. Because of its high levels of vitamin C it is a powerful antiscorbutic, and the pulp has value as a laxative as well. Native folklore also attests to the hangover-reducing properties of tamarind juice.

Fresh tamarinds are available in supermarkets in some regions of Brazil. In other regions, frozen pulp, completely natural, is available in market freezers and can be reconstitued with water to make juice or merely thawed when pulp is called for.

In upcoming posts, we'll feature some traditional recipes from Brazil which call for tamarind. In North America you can sometimes find fresh tamarind in Latin or Asian food markets, and in those same markets you can find semi-dried pulp in small packages. By soaking this pulp in hot water and removing the seeds you can make your own ready-to-use tamarind.

RECIPE - Spinach and Palm Heart Salad with Tamarind Dressing

Although most cooks and diners think of tamarind in the context of Southeast Asian or Indian foods, the fruit is used extensively in Brazilian cuisine. The tamarind tree originated in central Africa, and from there Arabian traders took it too the Indian subcontinent and on to the countries of Southeast Asia. Portuguese explorers and traders then brought it back from Asia to Europe, and carried it on to Brazil, where it's become a popular food source.

Brazilians love tamarind juice, tamarind Popsicles and tamarind candies. The fruit is also valued in cooked dishes, where the addition of tamarind juice adds an acidity and sharpness that is similar to, but not identical to, the acidity of citrus juices.

Here's a modern-day Brazilian recipe for a light and healthy salad of spinach and palm hearts (palmito) with a tamarind based dressing.

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RECIPE - Spinach and Palm Heart Salad with Tamarind Dressing
Serves 2

1/4 lb. (100 gr.) tamarind pulp (can be purchased in Asian and Latin American markets)
2 Tbsp. light sesame oil
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. salt
4 cups lightly packed spinach leaves
2 stalks hearts of palm, thinly sliced
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
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Place the tamarind pulp in a medium bowl, and pour boiling water over to cover. Let stand for 20 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Pull the seeds out of the tamarind pods, place the pulp of the pods in a small sieve and press the pulp through the sieve into a bowl. Combine with the sesame oil, rice vinegar and salt to taste. Reserve.

Put the spinach leaves in a large salad bowl. Add the sliced palm hearts, then the tamarind dressing. Finally, toss lightly to coat the spinach leaves with dressing, sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of the salad, and serve.

Recipe translated and adapted from Mannequim Magazine, Feb. 2010.