Hi everyone, check out the video for this Roasted Tamarind Chicken Thighs HERE. Whenever I think of tamarind, the first thought that comes to my mind is a small, round, dark brown candy that was sold by street vendors in Rio de Janeiro. When I was a little girl, I used to eat one every day after school while waiting for the bus.
But the fruit of the tamarind is far more than a memory from childhood. It is one of the greatest sources of a sour taste in cooking. It has been cultivated in tropical parts of the world and is broadly found in the cooking of Indian, Asia, African, and South American dishes. It brightens and brings contrast to whatever it touches.
In Brazil, the fruit grows abundantly since the tall tamarind tree adapts perfectly to our tropical climate, reaching up to 80 feet tall and yielding about 385 pounds of fruit every year.
To suck on a tamarind pit is to experiment with the quintessential taste of the exotic. As you can see in THIS VIDEO and the photos spread on this post, the fruit itself is not your typical apple, orange, or banana. The fruit lives inside a brittle, bulbous pod resembling a long, knobbly, light brown finger, 4 to 8 inches long. To use the fruit, you must crack the fava, peel it, and clean away the “hair”. Once you open the pod, this so-called “fruit” is almost like a natural sticky paste, with a date-like texture, encased in strings and veins that surround up to a dozen seeds. It carries so much acid that it feels like I’m eating that tamarind candy of my childhood.
Although you may not find fresh tamarind in your typical grocery store, if you hunt them in Latin or Asian supermarkets, the chances to find it is a lot higher. If you buy them, gather about ¼ lb (125g) in a glass bowl and cover them with 1 cup of boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes periodically mashing the tamarind with your fingers. Strain and discard the pit and any debris. Keep this concentrated paste in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. See the video of fresh tamarind paste.
You can also use tamarind in readily available forms such as pulp, paste, concentrated liquid, frozen pulp, and powder, like a spice. For this recipe, I found a concentrated version called Tamarind Oh! by Essie Spice brand.
Although the product’s predominant taste is sour, it can easily be balanced against sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, spiciness, and umami— and that’s exactly what I did in this recipe for Roasted Tamarind Chicken Thighs.
I chose to serve it with plain white rice and garnish it with fresh cilantro leaves, crunchy cucumber, fresh scallions, and a few toasted sesame seeds. I find this combination delicious, but feel free to eat this Roasted Tamarind Chicken Thighs with whatever side dish you like best.
Roasted Tamarind Chicken Thighs
Serves 6
See video of this recipe HERE
Ingredients:
2½ lbs chicken thighs (8 to 9 pieces), boned and skin on
½ cup tamarind concentrate (I used Tamarind Oh! by Essie Spice)
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Garnish:
Cooked white rice
3 Japanese cucumber, sprinkled with salt and drained over a colander
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped finely
2 scallions, sliced thin on a bias
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Procedure:
- Spread chicken on a large tray to allow it to air dry and absorb the marinade better.
- Place tamarind, red curry paste, paprika, garlic, ginger, and kosher salt in a bowl and mix well. Transfer tamarind mixture and chicken thighs to a bowl and massage well, making sure all pieces are well covered in marinade. Cover with a piece of plastic film and leave at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375˚F. Spread chicken onto a large roasting pan and place chicken skin side up. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until chicken is nicely golden brown. Lower the temperature to 325˚F and continue roasting for another hour, until nice and tender. Chicken and marinade will render natural sauce. Remove from the oven and baste chicken thighs with natural juices.
- Serve with white rice, cucumber, cilantro, scallions, and sesame seeds.
If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy:
Brazilian Chicken Salad (Salpicao)
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