[Sca-cooks] Emergency question about tamarind paste

[Tara Sersen Boroson]

Help please!  I have a recipe that called for 1/3 c. tamarind paste 
mixed with 3/4 c. water - heat in pan, push through sieve to remove 
seeds, resultant puree should measure about 1 c.

I went to my local Indian grocer (awesome place, by the way, in 
Montgomeryville for those of you in the area.)  I couldn't find anything 
called tamarind "paste," but found tamarind "concentrate".  I figured it 
would be the same or very similar, so I bought a jar.  This stuff has no 
seeds, which makes my job a bit easier.  But, it's also a bit thinner 
than I thought it would be.  When I read "paste" I assumed it would be 
about the consistancy of peanut butter.  Instead it's more like apple 
butter.

The alternative was to take fresh tamarinds and simmer them, mash and 
strain the pulp and mix 1/2 c. of the pulp with 1/2 c. of the water 
strained from the pot.  So, I'm guessing the result should be thinner 
than applesauce but I'm not positive since I've never worked with fresh 
tamarinds.

So, should I thin it down as much as the recipe calls for?

Thank you!

Magdalena

-- 
Tara Sersen Boroson

You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him to find it for himself. - Galileo Galilei