Musika (Tamarind) Purée
Annabel Hughes cooks, gardens, and forages in the Zambezi Valley on a farm upriver from Victoria Falls in Zambia. Read her blog at www.SavannaBel.com.
This recipe is featured in Musika, the Zambezi Valley’s Native Tamarind
- Servings Yield: Varies according to how much fruit pulp is used
Ingredients
- Musika/tamarind fruit pulp
- Warm water
- Granulated sugar
Preparation
1. Place the musika/tamarind pulp into a medium bowl. Add warm water, ensuring all the fruit is well-covered, and soak for 3-4 hours, or until the pulp starts separating from the seeds and turns into a thick puree. If it becomes too thick, add a little more water.
2. Transfer the puree to a heavy-based saucepan and add the sugar. I use 118 ml (½ cup) sugar to every 473 ml (2 cups) tamarind puree.
3. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring regularly until the sugar has dissolved. Once boiling, turn down the heat and simmer until the consistency of the puree becomes smoother and starts to soften, about 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat, cool, and store in sterilized preserving jars in the refrigerator. The puree will last for months.
Annabel Hughes
Annabel Hughes cooks, gardens, and forages in the Zambezi Valley on a farm upriver from Victoria Falls in Zambia. In her blog, SavannaBel, she writes about the joys and challenges of creating, adapting, and executing recipes in a bush kitchen in semi-arid Kalahari sand watered by the Zambezi River. Previously, Annabel worked as a journalist and activist in London and Washington, D.C. She has been published in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and southern Africa, and has worked for CNN International. Annabel moved back to Africa, where she was born and grew up, at the end of 2012.
Courtesy photo
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