Well, it’s been one year! And how better to celebrate than to really tart up the blog with a new look.

Originally, the image in the new header was to be of pods of sweet tamarind from Thailand, of which I was not familiar. But as you can see from the image below, the result was….unsavoury. I think you’ll agree that the new header above is much better!

Sweet Tamarind Pods

The tamarind I knew was the especially sour kind that’s either already sold as a block of pulp, to be soaked in warm water for tamarind water, or dried in slices, ready to toss into a curry to add a sour note. This sweet kind was a whole new animal to me. I purchased a boxful from my local Middle Eastern shop - huge boxful for a bargain £1.39. Each pod are as thick as a man’s finger and about the same length as well (except for the outlier at twice that length!). They are light, with a hard and apparently brittle shell.

Inside a Tamarind Pod

Cracking one open exposes the sticky, chewy brown pulp surrounding glossy black seeds. The flavour is slightly sweet and somewhat tart and definitely tamarind. It’s a little difficult to eat due to its stickiness and its long fibres that need to be picked out. I’m looking forward to trying candied sweet tamarind when I can find them!

Thanks for visiting my blog over the past year and I hope to get to know more of you in the future!