Tamarind is the main ingredient to getting Pad Thai to taste the way it does. If you're trying to make Pad Thai yourself watch your recipes! Some of them will ask for a lot of Tamarind concentrate paste when you don't need much.

One of the realities of living with the internet is that lots of people copy other people's content, which includes recipes"”without actually making it themselves. And what happens if one bad recipe gets written? People will copy it, and it will spread. Duplicates of a bad recipe will spread, everywhere.

I'm telling you about this because I came across two Shrimp Pad Thai recipes that turned out terrible. They called for too much Tamarind concentrate. Some sites said one or two tablespoons, while another said 1/4 or to 1/3 of a cup of it (which didn't sound right when I was making it at the time). My first batch of Pad Thai turned out overly concentrated with flavor and had to be tossed out. My second batch that I made right after was almost ruined as well, had I (instinctively) only put half the actual amount of Pad Thai sauce in with the noodles. You could say, "blame the cook," but no, these were just really bad recipes from people that probably just copied and pasted content.

This bottle is a large amount of tamarind (likely for restaurant use), and I would prefer 4 oz or smaller size as you don't need that much. This Tamarind concentrate is great, just make sure you have a good recipe when using it. Recommended.

* Updated with my recipe, medium difficulty.

*** BENJAMIN BANNISTER'S PAD THAI RECIPE FOR TWO ***

"” INGREDIENTS "”
"¢ 2 teaspoons of Tamarind paste (this product)
"¢ 7 oz Thai Kitchen Stir Fry Rice Noodles (1/2 of the box)
"¢ 1/2 lb of your meat of choice: chicken, shrimp, or beef
"¢ 1 tablespoon peanut oil (x4)
"¢ 1/3 cup honey
"¢ 3 tablespoons fish sauce
"¢ 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
"¢ 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
"¢ 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
"¢ 3 eggs
"¢ 3 garlic cloves, minced
"¢ 4-5 chopped scallions (also called green onions)
"¢ 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
"¢ 2 limes, quartered

"” DIRECTIONS "”
1) THE NOODLES:
"¢ Put rice noodles in a large bowl, add boiling water to cover. Let sit 5-10 minutes until noodles are just tender; check every few minutes to make sure they don't get too soft.
"¢ Drain, drizzle with 1 tablespoon peanut oil to keep from sticking. Set aside.

2) PEANUTS: This sautée step is optional. Regular peanuts are ok.
"¢ Pre-heat small saucepan on medium with 1 tablespoon of peanut oil.
"¢ Add the 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, sautée for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside in a bowl.

3) THE SAUCE: This will make slightly more than you need so feel free to play with the ratios.
"¢ Using the same small saucepan, set heat to med-low.
"¢ In a bowl, mix 2 teaspoons tamarind paste, 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 1/3 cup honey, and 2 tablespoons rice vinegar. Stir.
"¢ Pour into the saucepan (use a spatula to get every drop in), bring just to a simmer.
"¢ Stir in 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
"¢ Turn heat to lowest setting and let it sit.

4) THE MEAT: Cook 1/2 lb of your meat of choice: chicken, beef, shrimp.
"¢ For shrimp, follow your box instructions.
"¢ For chicken and beef, cut up as 1/4 inch x 1 inch slices, cook over medium heat until just done.
"¢ Set aside.

4.5) Pre-heat large skillet or wok over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons peanut oil.

5) EGGS AND VEGGIES
"¢ Crack open 3 eggs in a bowl and whisk. Set aside. (You can vary the eggs based on preference: keep within 2-4 eggs)
"¢ Mince 3 garlic cloves.
"¢ Chop 4-5 scallions diagonally, toss out bottom white portion (or use if you like)
"¢ Chop 1/4 cup cilantro.

6) PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
"¢ When your chopping/mincing is done, the large skillet/wok should be ready. Add garlic, cook for about 45 seconds, move aside in pan.
"¢ Add whisked eggs to pan. Once they start to set, scramble them until just done, cut it into rough chunks with a spatula while scrambling.
"¢ Add your meat, add noodles, add scallions. Slightly mix everything together.
"¢ Drizzle 3/4 of THE SAUCE over everything. Toss and mix to coat all surface areas.
"¢ Taste a few noodles. If you want more flavor, slowly add the rest of the sauce. Be careful because this is the point where you could overdo the flavor.
"¢ After 2-3 minutes, the noodles should look stir-fried. Turn off heat and serve on 2 plates. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro. Add lime wedges on the side.

Let me know how it taste!

Nice sour taste without being too sweet. Made Pad Thai and it was the taste that's definitely needed. The only thing I don't like is the container lid won't stay on.

I wish they put it in toothpaste tubes. It tipped over and leaked in my fridge.

Use to make in a stew and add a lot of flavor. Happy I got a powder as will keep so much longer for other recipes and yes, pleased with my purchase

There is not really much to write about this...the chances are if you are looking at this, you already know exactly what this product is.

I normally buy this from my local hispanic Supermarket, but for some reason, I could not find it stocked the last time, so I got it on Amazon. I have limited applications for this-so far it has gone into one Thai-style sauce, and also used as an adjunct flavor in some fermented pepper sauce that I make.

Because it is fairly concentrated, a little bit goes a long way. If you love the taste of tamarind, you will love this. And if you don't you won't.