Tamarind (Tsamiya) And Coconut Juice

Name: Tamarind (Tsamiya) And Coconut Juice
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients: Tamarind (tsamiya): 4 pods; Cucumber: few slices; Coconut: 1 drop flavor; Sugar: 2 table spoons; Water: 500mls

Tamarind or Tsamiya (as we call it in Hausa) is a fruit popular for making "kunun tsamiya" in the north. This time I made a juice from its raw pod and seeds. I added coconut to the juice to neutralize the sour taste. The coconut also gives it a very unique taste.

Going by the medical and cooking uses tamarind has, I urge you to make recipes with it, in its different forms.

Have a great tamarind experience!

Features:

Ingredients

4 pods Tamarind (tsamiya)
few slices Cucumber
1 drop flavor Coconut
or use coconut water from grated coconut
2 table spoons Sugar
500mls Water

Directions

About Tamarind (Tsamiya)

Tamarind is a tropical hard wood legume, scientifically called Tamarindus indica . It is mostly found in tropical Africa, including Nigeria and parts of Southern Asia, Mexico and the Carribeans.

Nutrition Information

Tamarind is rich in carbohydrate, dietary fibre, vitamins, magnesium, potassium, calcium and Iron. It has high calories- 100g tamarind provides 239 calories, mostly coming from the sugar it has.

Uses

Medicinal

The dietary fibre is particularly effective in treating constipation because it increases bowel movement, especially when you let the tamarind stand for 2 to 3 hours after preparation before you drink it.

Tamarind has been found beneficial as an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory agent and the seeds are likely to lower blood pressure. The chemical it has, polyphenol, likely protects against cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Cooking

You can use Tamarind to make marinades, sauces, drinks and dessert. It can be used in dried or fresh form.The fresh form of tamarind is very sour while the dried form tastes has a bit of sugary and sour taste.

Caution!

Tamarind candy is associated with lead-contamination in children. In a study carried out to investigate this claim, it concludes it is safer to avoid it in children.

Image: www.authoritynutrition.com

Steps

1 Done 10 minutes	Preparing the Tamarind (tsamiya) Wash tamarind thoroughly in warm water. Add water to tamarind in a pot and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Drain in a bowl.
2 Done 5 minutes	Making the Tamarind Juice. Wash and slice some cucumber. Add cucumber slices to the bowl of tamarind. Add a drop of coconut flavor (or coconut water if you prefer). Add sugar ( to your taste). Pour in a glass and chill in the fridge.