When we eat black velvet tamarind in my home, everyone sits in one place each with a tray. You peel and eat or peel and put in a zipper bag, this makes cleaning up a lot easier. Those black shells can really mess up the house but we all love eating it, especially if you buy a sweet batch with thick soft flesh. Some black velvet tamarind can be really sour.
Black velvet tamarind (dialium guineese) can be found in may west African countries and goes by different names. In Nigeria, it is called awin (Yoruba), icheku (Igbo), tsamiyar kurm (Hausa) while in Ghana it is called yooyi. It has a black velvety thin shell with an orange “powdery” pulp covering a tiny hard seed. The taste is sweet and acidic or tart.
Black velvet tamarind has a high ascorbic acid content, minerals and sugar too. It is seasonal ripening between January and May with a peak yield in March and April. It is used for cooking and can also be made into drinks, beverages, jam, alcoholic drinks, syrup etc.
Most people just lick the pulp but this refreshing drink is an excellent way to use this fruit. Mind you this is not the same as the other tamarind (tamarindus indica) although both are from the same family of leguminous plants.
To release the fruit from the shell, squeeze it between your fingers and the thin shell will crack open releasing the pulp inside. It is a little time-consuming but very much worth the effort. I use the time to listen to my audio-bible or books. It really quietens my mind.
There are different types of sweeteners you can use e.g sugar, jaggery (Mazarkwaila), honey, artificial sweeteners etc. I mostly use jaggery, unrefined cane sugar with its caramel/butterscotch-like flavour giving the juice a very rich taste.
How to make Black Velvet Tamarind Juice
2 1/2 cups shelled tamarind 3-4 cups water 2 tablespoons lemon juice sweetener mint leaves (optional)
Shell tamarind and place in a medium bowl.
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and pour into the bowl, making sure the fruits are all well covered with the water.
Cover the bowl and leave to stand until cool.
Place a fine sieve over an empty bowl, set aside.
Wearing a food-grade glove, squeeze the tamarind in the water to separate the pulp from the seeds. Most of the pulp would have dissolved into the water anyway as it was cooling.
Pour into the sieve to strain out the juice.
Pour seeds back into the first bowl and add the remaining 1 cup of water, mix well and strain.
Discard the seeds.
Add the lemon juice and jaggery or other sweeteners to taste, stir and store in a clean bottle.
Refrigerate or serve over ice. You can also warm it through for a comforting tea.
If you enjoyed my Black velvet tamarind juice, you will also enjoy my Mango Lassi, Kunun aya deluxe, Sugar cane-Tigernut drink, Rice milk using cooked rice, Golden rice milk and Kunnu Aya, Tiger nut milk.
Black velvet tamarind
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups shelled tamarind
- 3-4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- sweetener
- mint leaves optional
Instructions
- Shell tamarind and place in a medium bowl.
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and pour into the bowl, making sure the fruits are all well covered with the water.
- Cover the bowl and leave to stand until cool.
- Place a fine sieve over an empty bowl, set aside.
- Wearing a food-grade glove, squeeze the tamarind in the water to separate the pulp from the seeds. Most of the pulp would have dissolved into the water anyway as it was cooling.
- Pour into the sieve to strain out the juice.
- Pour seeds back into the first bowl and add the remaining 1 cup of water, mix well and strain. Discard the seeds.
- Add the lemon juice and jaggery or other sweeteners to taste, stir and store in a clean bottle in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Refrigerate or serve over ice.
- You can also warm it through for a comforting tea.
Do you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.
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I am Ganiru, a wife, a mother, a food blogger, a chef, an author and an accountant. I love to cook and write about food, especially Nigerian and afro-centric food...
What else can I produce from velvet tamarind fruit apart from the juice
I love your black velvet tamarind drink (juice ) I sell the powdered one .In case you are interested here’s my number 08099447551.