Sometimes you come across an ingredient that inspires you to get into the kitchen and make something delicious. A new (to you) ingredient means that the end result may be unlike anything you ever cooked before. For me, that’s the kind of motivation I need lately and it comes in the form of tamarind paste.
Gosh knows the inspiration came just in time. I’ve been traveling. It was a big trip and the details (and the doing) have taken a lot of my attention this summer. Add that to the caregiving responsibilities that seem to grow in scope every single day.
All this means that the cooking aspect of my poor little blog has been neglected. I’ve even considered putting it out
Then tamarind paste came along, and I couldn’t wait to get in the kitchen and create an original recipe. Just like I used to do when I first started this blog (more than 10 years ago).
It’s not that I’m unfamiliar with tamarind. I come across its particular sour notes quite often in many of the Asian and Latin restaurants I frequent. A sweet and sour tamarindo soft drink sits next to almost every taco my partner Ken orders.
I’ve even bought fresh tamarind in the market. It comes in sticky pods (like a giant vanilla bean) and the flesh is scraped out and the large seeds are discarded before you can use it. It’s a fun chore once in a while, but mostly it’s far too tedious for day-to-day cooking adventures.
Tamarind Paste
One the other hand, tamarind paste comes in a jar. It contains nothing but tamarind. No preservatives, no additives, no added sugar. How have I not known this all these years?
Tamarind paste can be found in a lot big supermarkets these days and keeps forever in the fridge. It’s a great investment in flavor, bringing its own fruity sweet-sour tang to anything from chutneys to curries to the glaze in this roast pork tenderloin.
Oh yeah, it’s also magical when mixed in with the sauteed red onions that accompany this dish. They’re so easy to make that it may change your allegiance to traditional fruit chutney for good. GREG
Chili-garlic sauce is slightly salty, spicy, and pungent; it can be found in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets and at some specialty foods stores and Asian markets.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup tamarind paste
- water (as needed)
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup chile-garlic sauce (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (divided)
- salt and black pepper (as needed)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound, tied to ensure even cooking)
- 3 tablespoon canola oil (divided)
- 2 red onions (peeled, halved, and thinly sliced)
Directions
Make the marinade: Mix the tamarind paste with enough water to make a smooth syrupy liquid. Set aside.
Place half of the syrupy tamarind mixture in a large bowl, add honey, chili-garlic sauce, ground cardamom, ground cumin, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Add the pork, rub the marinade into the meat, then cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
Roast the pork: Preheat the oven 450 degrees F.
Meanwhile, make the tamarind onions: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and stir to coat with oil. Stir in salt and black pepper to taste, and add remaining ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cook stirring often until softened and beginning to lightly brown at the edges, about 8–10 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and remaining tamarind mixture until the liquid begins to bubble. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on high heat. Lift the pork from its marinade, then sear on all sides for about four minutes. Transfer the meat to a roasting tray, spoon over some of the marinade and roast for about 10–15 minutes, depending on how well done you like your pork. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and leave to rest for five minutes before slicing.
Serve with the warm tamarind onions.
Wow this sounds wonderful. I have tamarind paste, and have used it in specific recipes, but have not experimented with it. Time to do so!
Tamarind is a fantastic ingredient — and your pork looks perfect. I think I can smell it from here.
I think we have every form of tamarind known to man in our kitchen. I use it in marinades often, but I, or should I say Manservant is still trying to crack the secret to a tamarind Margarita that we had in Mexico a few years back. So far we are close, but not close enough. Think I will have to make this pork to tide him over!
Clearly I need a jar of tamarind paste. It’s an ingredient I love, but as you said, it’s quite tedious to work with, — as a result it’s been about 15 years since I’ve used it. As always, you’re photographs lure me right in — to your site, to the recipe, to the flavors, and son on. I love it.
Being a caregiver is a hard job, be kind to yourself. This is what I like about blogging, you come across an ingredient like tamarind paste. I have never used it but now I will look for it and make this great looking recipe.
Love tamarind paste. Haven’t used any for awhile, and I’m not sure I even have any on hand at the moment (it’s buried way back in the refrigerator if I do), but easy enough to get another jar if necessary. This is inspired! Bet the pork is wonderful, but those onions looks out-of-this-world. Thanks!
I had a jar of tamarind paste in my fridge that I bought for a recipe so long ago that I couldn’t remember it. That jar sat there for, I don’t know … years. I finally tossed it. Had I known (or dreamed up) that I could use it on pork roast — one of my favorite things — it wouldn’t’ve gone to waste!
We are doing so much entertaining and I’m always looking for new recipes and holy cow, this one sounds awesome! I came across tamarind paste about 10–12 years ago and fell in love. Such a distinctive sweet/sour flavour. The weird thing is that when I ran out of my paste, I didn’t get/find/remember so I stopped making the dishes that needed that unique ingredient. About a month ago, I came across a jar and immediately jumped on it. I am going to go for this recipe because we eat a lot of pork tenderloin and I know JT will love it.
Loved, loved your vaycay pics. Thank you for allowing me to see them, you have made me want to go there. I’m very glad you’re making time for yourself and your lovely partner, caregiving is very demanding and stressful. You are a saint to do it for your MIL, I couldn’t imagine doing it for my own mother! XOXO