Tamarind is like a sour gummy on a tree.

Tamarind trees grow in tropical zones. The fruit is used heavily in indian cuisine to give a sour note.

Tamarind paste is a staple in my fridge. It is used mostly in dals and chutney. I wanted a tamarind curd. I started with my lemon curd recipe and modified. It works quite well.

So of course, Bars.

This recipe is quite quick and easy as well. The crust depends on less work to keep the shortbread texture.

A blender is the best option for making the curd. Hand mixing is possible, but a machine gives much better results.

These tolerate heat better than cakes, but they will droop a little when they get warm.

I usually cut the sugar in half for the curd. Eric loves it extra tart. I do too. But that much sour is not for everyone.

These are easily mistaken for chocolate on the tray. Make sure there’s a warning if you’re leaving them on a serving table.

Tamarind Bars

Ingredients

Crust:
- 2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 cup Almond Milk
Tamarind Curd:
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Tamarind Concentrate
- 1/4 cup Arrowroot or Corn Starch
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 1/4 cup Almond Milk
- 1/4 cup Coconut Oil

Instructions

Sift together flour, powdered sugar, and salt.
Mix in vegetable oil and almond milk just until you have a ball of dough.
Mash into a lined pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Put all of the curd ingredients into the blender and puree well.
Pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, while whisking constantly.
Remove from heat at boil, continuing to whisk.

Cover the crust with the tamarind curd and allow to cool.
Refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, remove from pan, and cut into bars.

Notes

Don't knead the dough. It will get tough.

A 9" pan works well. 8" makes them thicker and will take longer to bake and to cool.

The blender makes short work of mixing the starches.
This gives the smoothest consistency in the tamarind curd.

Halve sugar in curd for Eric.

Nutritional Information

Nutritional information reflects amount per serving.
Calories 216
Total Fat (g) 10
Saturated Fat (g) 2
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Sodium (mg) 81
Total Carbohydrate (g) 28
Dietary Fiber (g) 1
Sugars (g) 14
Protein (g) 2