A refreshing Arab drink, made with tamarind…
Alhamdulillah, the last ten days of Ramadan have dawned upon us. I was just wondering, how fast days fly. Every year around this time, I say the same dialogue. As much as we long for the month to come and nourish our souls, it hurts when it passes by very quickly. The last ten days are the blessed nights, in which one of the nights is better than 1000 months. May we be blessed with the Laylathul Qadr, the night that can change our destiny… May Allah accept our fasts and our Ibadah… May Allah protect our community in distress in various parts of the world… As much as we pray for our own self and our near ones, this is the time for us to include our dear brothers and sisters in various parts of the world, undergoing different levels of stress and tension due to the world order.
“And Allah is the one sought for help against that which you describe.” ( Surah Yousuf:18)
There are some drinks that remind you of Ramadan. While Indians and Pakistanis have the classic rose syrup or the Mohabbat Ka Sharbath in mind, for the Arab community, there are drinks like the Qamardeen and the Jallab that takes its place. Another drink that I have seen at certain Iftar buffets, though not very popular is the Tamr Hindi. I used to always wonder, what is with the name. “Hindi” is basically the name for India. Then I realized slowly that “Tamr Hind” is the Arabic name for tamarind – see the connection? If you frequent the Global Village, you will see traditionally dressed men, carrying long flasks and pouring off these drinks near the Syrian pavilion. I love drinking them on a hot day. It is very refreshing and ever since I have tried it, I have been wanting to make it at home.
The base of the drink is of course tamarind, but a particular tamarind paste is used to make it. I tried making it with the tamarind we use in our curries. The tamarind is boiled two times to extract its juices as much as we can. In the end, you get a concoction that you can adjust as per your level of tanginess. The more tangy you like it, the more syrup you use, which is why you will see that I am not specifying the amount of water. I can only say that this drink is more of an acquired taste, so give yourself some time to fall in love with it… 😉
Tamr Hindi| Tamer Hindi ~ Tamarind Drink
Ingredients
- 100 gm tamarind seedless if possible
- 1 litre water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp rose water
- Cold water as needed
- Sugar syrup as needed
- Ice for serving
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add the tamarind along with half a liter of water. Boil for 15 minutes till the tamarind softens.
- Strain through a seive pressing down as much as liquid as possible.
- Now add the tamarind again into the saucepan, with the remaining water and sugar and boil again for fifteen minutes. This is just to ensure to take maximum pulp off.
- Strain into the previously prepared mixture. Discard the remains.
- Mix in the rose water. Chill till use.
- To serve, add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of the concoction to a tall glass. Top with ice and more cold water. Sweeten to taste, preferably with sugar syrup and enjoy immediately.
Notes