Skip to main content

Tamer Hindi (Tamarind Drink)

A glass pitcher and two glasses filled with tamer hindi a sweet and sour tamarind beverage.
Photo by Marlene Matar

This refreshing sweet and sour beverage—made with tamarind, water, and sugar—is popular during the month of Ramadan. The semi-dried tamarind paste used for tamer hindi can be purchased online or at Middle Eastern grocery stores.

Cook's Note:

After step 3, the sour juice can be used as a substitute for lemon juice in some recipes.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes about 10½ cups

Ingredients

12 oz. (350 g) block of semi-dried tamarind paste
3 cups (700 ml) boiling water
3 cups (1 lb. 5 oz. or 600 g) sugar

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Separate the tamarind mass into chunks and place in a bowl. Cover with the boiling water and set aside for a few hours until the pulp dissolves in the water.

    Step 2

    Rub the tamarind pulp and seeds with your fingers, and add 3 cups (700 ml) cold water.

    Step 3

    Place the mixture in a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl and press on the tamarind to extract all the juice.

    Step 4

    Transfer the pulp residue to a small bowl and add 2 cups (480 ml) cold water, rubbing the mixture with your fingers. Strain into the large bowl used above.

    Step 5

    Repeat the procedure a third time with 1 cup (240 ml) water.

    Step 6

    Add the sugar to the tamarind juice in the large bowl and stir to dissolve.

    Step 7

    Refrigerate and serve very cold with ice and water to dilute as desired (about ¼ cup or 60 ml water per 240 ml cup of juice).

Cookbook cover of The Aleppo Cookbook by Marlene Matar.
From The Aleppo Cookbook: Celebrating the Legendary Cuisine of Syria by Marlene Matar. Copyright © 2021. Reprinted with permission from Interlink Books. Buy the full book from Amazon, Bookshop, or Simon & Schuster.

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.
Tangy and sunny, this curd can be made with either fresh or frozen pulp.
You can enjoy these madeleines with just powdered sugar—or decorate them with a colorful white chocolate shell.
Scoop up these warmly spiced chickpeas with any flatbread or spoon them onto rice.
Need an elegant dinner party dessert? A quick tea cake? A vacation birthday bake? This chocolaty wonder fits every bill.
These soft butter cookies are made with mooncake molds, reminiscent of block print stamps from Jaipur.
Make these cookies for an after-school snack, midday treat, or gift for friends and neighbors.
With the sweet and nutty flavor of ube, these cookies taste like they’ve been dunked into a glass of milk.