Iced Tamarind Juice (Đá Me)

5 from 1 vote

Iced Tamarind Juice (Đá Me)

Learn how to make tamarind juice (đá me), a tasty, refreshing and thirst-quenching Vietnamese tamarind drink at home. This sweet-tangy juice may be your next summer favorite!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: easy, summer

Servings: people

Calories: 186kcal

Author: Sophie

Ingredients

For the Concentrate

5 oz tamarind pulp
2 cups warm water
1 thumb-sized chubby piece of ginger, lightly smashed (about 1 oz)
4.5 oz granulated sugar (about heaping 1/2 cup or to taste)

For Each Glass of Juice

1½-2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
1/3 cup water
plenty of ice (about 3/4 cup)
2 teaspoons roasted unsalted peanuts
2 teaspoons toasted coconut flakes (optional)

US Customary - Grams

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, add tamarind pulp and 1 cup of warm water (the water does not need to be very hot). Use your fingers to loosen, squeeze and separate the seeds and fibers from the tamarind paste. Make sure the water is not too hot for your hand.
Place a mesh strainer over a saucepan. Push the mixture through the strainer with your fingers (or a spatula, scraper or wooden spoon) to separate the seeds and fibers from the paste. You can watch the video in the post to see how to do it.
Repeat the above steps for seeds and fibers just extracted. Place them in the mixing bowl, add 1 cup of water. Use your fingers to squeeze and then pour the mixture through the mesh strainer.
Place the saucepan with all the liquid from tamarind over medium heat. Add sugar and ginger. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat and skim off any foams.
Cover the saucepan with the lid slightly askew. Maintain a gentle simmer for 30-35 minutes until the mixture reduces in half into a concentrate (about 3/4 cup - 1 cup of concentrate).
Transfer the tamarind concentrate to a container. You can make the juice right away or refrigerate and keep it for a long time and make the juice later.
To make the drink: add 1½ - 2 tablespoons of concentrate to a serving glass, add 1/3 cup of water then stir to combine. Add a lot of ice and top the drink with roasted peanuts and toasted coconut flakes.

Video

Notes

Tamarind tartness can vary a little depending on the brand or origin, so please taste and adjust the amount of sugar if needed. The amount of concentrate made from this recipe can make 5-6 glasses of tamarind juice.

Nutrition