Bolas de Tamarindo (Tamarind Sweet Balls)

This post is also available in Spanish

These Bolas de Tamarindo are a traditional Colombian dessert and is a very simple recipe to make, requiring only two ingredients. These treats have a wonderful sweet and tart combination. If you like tamarind flavor, I’m sure you’ll love this dessert.

Tamarindo or Tamarind is a tree indigenous to Africa, but is also found in Asia and South America. The fruit of the tree is contained in hard, brown pods, which produce a pulp that is sweet and sour in taste. Tamarind pulp is an important ingredient in Colombian and other Latin country’s cuisine. You can find tamarind in Latin, Indian, and Asian markets, to name a few. It is available in plastic wrapped blocks of shelled tamarind with the seeds, whole pods in shells, or in glass jars. I love making my own pulp and usually buy the blocks, as I find them the easiest with which to work.

In Colombia we use Tamarindo to make traditional desserts, drinks and savory sauces. I just love the sweet and tart taste of this fruit.

Ingredients

• 20 fresh tamarind pods or 1 (14 oz ) block of tamarind pulp
• 1/2 cup of sugar

Directions

1. Remove the tamarind fruit from its shell, devein and break into small pieces. Add to a bowl and mix with 6 tablespoons of sugar, then mold into small balls.
2. Place the rest of the sugar in a small bowl. Place the tamarind balls in the mixture and roll around until all of the balls are coated. You can eat them immediately or keep refrigerated in a container for a couple of days.