I want to make pad thai, but i have a problem with the tamarind?

Most of the recipes for Pad thai calls for tamarind, but i couldn't find it before. i finally found tamarind in an Indian store.



One was a block of black tamarind wrapped in plastic. Second was a small jar of tamarind concentrate which was very dark black. Third was a jar of tamarind sauce made by Knorr. This one was red.



I thought this was very stange indeed, b/c I've eaten pad thai before and it usually had a reddish color to it. But the tamarind i've found here is all black except the tamarind sauce from Knorr. i bought the tamarind concentrate, and now i think i made a mistake by buying this.



Did I buy the right thing?? I read somewhere tamarind is supposed to be red not this dark black sauce. how am i supposed to use this black tamarind concentrate? would it make my pad thai very black?



I want to make a really good pad thai something that is more suited to my palette. I don't like the heavy thick pad thai sold in my local thai places.I want to make pad thai, but i have a problem with the tamarind?
The tamarind just adds a little tang to your food. The one I bought is kind of brownish-red. It's Laxmi brand. The owners of the oriental market recommended it. Just start with the amount the recipe calls for and see if that's how you like it and then add a little more if needed. You might want to taste the tamarind paste first to see how much of that taste you want in your food. Hope your pad thai turns out great!I want to make pad thai, but i have a problem with the tamarind?
the tamarind only adds a sour flavour to the dish...I have used the black concentrate quite successfully...just remember that it is more concentrated...the other method of making a watery paste out of tamarind pulp is just a lot more work. It won't make your pad thai black..but just becareful how much you use.I want to make pad thai, but i have a problem with the tamarind?
I use the stuff in a block. Soak a piece in hot water until it dissolves and then strain it. The recipe shouldn't call for much, it's not a main ingredient. Just follow the recipe as is and adjust it the next time if it's not to your taste.

I use a piece about equal to a Tbs. in 1/2 cup boiling hot water and let sit for 15 minutes or so. You need to dilute/dissolve the thick paste in the jar the same way. You'll see that it lightens in color when you do.

Sometimes I make my own by shelling and veining a LB of tamarind pods and cooking it down in a quart of water until it is very soft, then straining and cooking down again until it thickens.
Being a former chef and having made Pad Thai a number of time, plus eaten it in Thailand, Singapore and other places, if you want a substitude for the tamarind, try using a little worchestershire sauce, it has tamarind and other flavours, if you can find the blocks of tamarind , try putting them in a bowl, add a small amount of sugar, cover with boiling water, when dissolved, strain it add a small amount of vinegar and Thai fish sauce, and keep as a seasoning for any Thai dish, currys, Tom Yong soup.



I learned this from a friend who worked with me in a french restaurant, he was my station chef and work make this for a staff meal every so often and kept the base for faster prep.