Tamarind Peppersauce (hot sauce + wing sauce).

May 28, 2025February 22, 20212 Comments

With another bumper crop of insanely hot peppers in my garden and the new little toy I got (Traeger Grill) this past summer, it was only natural that I gave you all a smoked pepper sauce (hot sauce) recipe. The fiery peppers and lovely undertone of smoke and tamarind will have your tastebuds dancing, with excitement.

You’ll Need…

1/2 lb Tamarind (peeled)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
10-15 smoked HOT peppers (your fav)
2 tablespoon Coconut Palm Sugar (or golden brown sugar)
6-8 cloves garlic
4-6 leaves shado beni (culantro)
1 1/2 tablespoon pure Maple Syrup
3/4 teaspoon roasted ground cumin (geera)
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 lime

Note! I used a variety of HOT peppers (watch the video below), but you can use whatever you have or enjoy using. Additionally, if doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Crack the outer shell of the tamarind and discard. Then remove the sort of string (fiber) off the tamarind so you’re left with just the tamarind flesh.

save time by getting the tamarind paste (about 3/4 cup) from your Hispanic, Asian or West Indian supermarket.

Add the tamarind flesh to a bowl, then add 2 cups of boiling water and let it sit until the water is cool enough to handle. This step will soften the flesh so we can remove the seeds.

Wash and dry the peppers and smoke @ 210F for about 1 hour as we just want to kiss them with that smoke. Make sure you have a lot of space between each pepper as you smoke them so that smoke can cuddle around them all. I believe I used Applewood to smoke the peppers, but any fruity wood will work.

Wear GLOVES and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water, when handling such hot peppers. Remove the stems off the peppers after they’ve been smoked and give them a rough chop.

Add the chopped peppers to a pot, along with the garlic, salt, coconut palm sugar (brown sugar will work), Shado beni, Maple Syrup (pure) and roasted ground Geera (cumin). Set aside.

The water in the tamarind should now be cool. Using your fingers, break up the flesh (pulp) and remove the seeds (discard). You will have a thick Tamarind slurry.

Pour the tamarind water (with pulp) into the pot with the peppers and put that pot on the stove on a medium heat. As it comes up to temperature, add the white vinegar. and apple cider. Mix well.

After 3-4 minutes it will come to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer (low heat) and cook for 30 minutes. Vent your kitchen or it may want to choke you with the fumes.

Turn the heat off and use your stick blender to puree it to a smooth consistency. If using a traditional blender, allow it to cool a bit first before you puree. Finish with the freshly squeezed juice, stir and you’re done. Thin with more white vinegar if it’s too thick.

Allow it to cool before pouring into a glass bottle and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

A versatile hot sauce which works anywhere you’d normally use hot sauce and as sauce for tossing your grilled or fried chicken wings – your friends will demand you make those wings on the regular (BEWARE!).

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Meat & Poultry

Tamarind Glazed Chicken Wings.

May 27, 2025January 25, 20171 Comment

While I did plan to share this recipe a while back, it was only after I received a request via Instagram did I actually get in the kitchen with chicken wings and camera in hand. The person who made the request was looking for a chicken wing idea to prepare for her Super Bowl party.. but she wasn’t a fan of the typical “Buffalo Wings”. With that in mind, I decided to give her and her guests a true taste of the Caribbean by using a tamarind glaze with a slight kick, to finish off the wings.

You’ll Need…

3- 5 lbs chicken wings + veg oil for frying

Brine:
– 1/4 cup salt
– 1/4 cup brown sugar
– 3 cups water
– 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
– 1 scallion
– 2 slices ginger
– 4-6 allspice berries
– 4 sprigs thyme

Tamarind Glaze
– 1 cup tamarind pulp
– 3 cloves garlic
– 4-5 cups water
– 2 slice ginger
– 2 scallions
– 1 cup brown sugar
– 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
– juice of 2 oranges
– 1 scotch bonnet pepper
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– 2 tablespoon honey

Note: While I used 3 lbs of wings, this recipe will work for 3-5 lbs of chicken wings.

Cut your wings into 2 parts (if they came attached) and trim off any extra skin and fat. Then place all the ingredients for making the brine in a pot and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and let it go for 2-3 minutes. Put the brine in the fridge (I placed it on my porch as it’s wintertime here). You can put some ice cubes in the brine to chill it faster, but I didn’t as I didn’t want it to be diluted. The brine MUST be chilled before you pour it over the chicken wings. Place the wings in the brine in the fridge for 1 hour. Do NOT go beyond the 1 hour or they could turn out to be salty.

As the wings brine, it’s time to get started on the glaze. Place the tamarind pulp (you can get it at Asian, Latino, West Indian and many everyday supermarkets) in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle boil and using a spoon, break it up to get the pulp to release the tamarind goodness. As it simmers, add the slices of ginger and smashed garlic cloves. After about 5-7 minutes, you should have a smooth consistency (except for the seeds of the tamarind). Take it off the stove and strain.

In a saucepan heat the olive oil on a medium flame, then add the chopped scallions.. turn the heat down to low and cook for 2 minutes. Now it’s time to add the diced scotch bonnet pepper (use as much as you can handle, NO seeds unless you want that raw heat and be sure to wash your hands with soap and water after handling the pepper) and stir well.

Add the strained tamarind liquid and all of the other ingredients for the glaze. turn up the heat and bring to a boil.. then reduce to a simmer.

After about 7 minutes you can take out about 3/4 cup and set aside as a dip. Continue reducing (stir well.. the sugars will cause it to want to stick and burn) until you have a thick glaze. Takes about 15 minutes in total. Remove off the fire and set aside. You’re looking for a glaze which is tangy, relatively sweet and a bit spicy from the scotch bonnet pepper. Do adjust the sugar to your liking.

I forgot to mention that you should remove the wings out of the fridge to bring it up to room temperature before frying. Drain the brine and rise with cool water. Try to rise well so we get rid of most of the salty brine. Drain and pat-dry with paper towels.

Heat your veg oil on a med/high flame (to about 375 F) in a pot with high sides, so you don’t splash and dirty your stove. I used about 3 cups of veg oil. You’re free to bake the wings off or grill them. Gently place the dry wings into the heated oil and cook for about 15 minutes or until golden and fully cooked. I did mine in two batches so the pot wasn’t crowded – yes you can use a deep fryer. Once fried, place on paper towels to soak up any extra oil.

You now have two options, you can place the wings in a large bowl and pour the glaze over them – toss! Or you can do as I did.. I placed the pan with the glaze back on a low flame and tossed the wings directly in the pan. This gives me more of a glazed/sticky texture to the wings.

Top with some chopped scallions, cilantro or sesame seeds and serve warm. These wings will excite your taste-buds and I guarantee you that your friends will be begging you for the recipe. it’s ok to fib and say it’s a family secret (smile).

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Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Simple Tamarind Chutney Recipe.

May 28, 2025January 18, 20166 Comments

Here’s another one of those spicy condiments I grew up enjoying with many of the street food sold outside the gates of my secondary school in San Fernando, Trinidad at recess and lunch time. Usually used as a dipping sauce for Pholourie and Saheena… and as a topping for doubles and aloo pies. But I think we most enjoyed it on it’s own, as a thick savory sauce when our taste buds craved something exciting (especially when we didn’t have enough money for the pholourie). You’ll find that I did stray a bit from the traditional type recipes, however you’ll enjoy the subtle complex flavors.

You’ll Need…

12-14 tamarinds
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper diced
1/2 onion diced
2 scallions diced
2 tablespoon chopped shado beni (or cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon salt (see note below)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic (diced or crushed)
2 1/2 cups water + 1 cup
1/2 lime (juice)

Note – depending on how tart (sour) your tamarind is you may need a bit more salt and brown sugar. If tamarind pulp (solid block, not the liquid) is available in your grocery store, it will save you having to remove the shell/seeds (would have already been removed).

Important! If doing this recipe according to a gluten free diet, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements.

Crack the shell of the tamarinds and remove the pulp. Discard the shell and stringy bits, and get ready to cook. It will be sticky on your fingers.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add the pulp, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool, so you can safely handle it.

As it simmers, prep you other ingredients (chop finely or puree).

With the boiled tamarind pulp cool, it’s now time to use your hand/fingers and remove the hard seeds on the inside (discard).

Place the pot back on a medium flame and add another cup of water – bring to a boil.

Now go in with all the other ingredients and after it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for another 20 minutes.

At this point all the flavors should have combined nicely, so it’s time to use a blender or stick blender to puree it into a sauce (with texture). Or you can add a bit more water and allow it to cook longer until everything breakdown into the sauce consistency you like. Be sure to taste for salt and sugar and adjust accordingly as some tamarind can be a bit more tart than others. Tamarind chutney is supposed to be the perfect balance between tart, sweet and spicy!

You can place it in a glass container and store in the fridge for at least 1 week.

Grilling Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Homemade Tamarind BBQ Sauce

June 2, 2025June 12, 20129 Comments

One of the first personalized bbq sauces I’ve ever made was this tamarind bbq sauce and in the process I learned the foundation of making good tomato based bbq sauces. I have a number of sauces I’m still to share with you as we dig deeper into this culinary tour of the Caribbean, so do stay tuned in. Using a less glamorous fruit from the Caribbean called Tamarind (In trinidad and Tobago we refer to it as tambran) to add a wonderful jolt of true Caribbean vibe to this versatile bbq sauce (can be used as a dipping sauce as well), the final taste will surely excite your taste buds.

One of my first memories of tamarind is sucking back on a piece fresh off the tree and that wicked punch of sour where your taste buds go into immediate shock… thinking about it brings my mouth gushing with water from that memory. Those of you in North America.. it’s similar to the sour candy you enjoyed as a kid… the ones your friends would dare you to place in your mouth and not open it.

You’ll Need…

1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cider vinegar
1 large onion diced (I used a sweet onion)
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoon yellow mustard (commercial stuff is fine)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated ginger
3/4 cup tamarind pulp (see note below)

Notes: You’ll need between a cup and a cup and half of hot water to prepare the tamarind pulp into a liquid form. You can certainly add some cinnamon and fresh herbs to personalize this Tamarind BBQ Sauce if you like. When using the scotch bonnet pepper try to wear gloves as the oils can be painful on your bare skin and try not to use the seeds, since that’s where a lot of the heat is.

The first thing we need to do is dice the onion and pepper very small.. remember to not use the seeds of the pepper if you’re concerned about explosive heat. Put the tamarind paste into a bowl and top it with hot water (I used just over a cup of boiling water). The hot water will allow us to break the tamarind down into a concentrated liquid form.

In a deep sauce pan on medium heat, pour in the olive oil (to help cook the onions and it will also give the finished tamarind bbq sauce a brilliant sheen), then empty in the diced onion. Turn your heat down to low and let this slowly cook for 5 minutes (remember to stir). It will soften up, go translucent and release it’s natural sugars.

After 5 minuets it’s time to add the black pepper and allspice.. this step will help toast the spices a bit and release it’s flavors. Cook that for a minute or two, then start adding everything else into the pot (see video below).. except the tamarind. Raise your heat to medium to bring to a gentle boil (remember to keep stirring). As this comes to a boil, the water with the tamarind pulp should be cool enough for you to handle.

Using a fork (at first), break up the tamarind pulp, then get in with your fingers and massage it. This action will release the pulp and the water will become a sort of tamarind concentrate. Discard as much solid (seeds and fibers) as you can. Now strain the liquid into the pot and give it a good stir.

Turn the heat back up so you get this back to boiling, then turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer. The idea is to cook this very slowly so all the flavors marry and form a tasty tamarind bbq sauce. Typically after 30 minutes it will be finished, but I allowed my batch to go for 45 minutes to really thicken up. You can leave it for additional time if you want a more thick bbq sauce. Do remember that when the sauce cools it will also thicken up quite a bit.

Not only will you have the satisfaction of knowing you made your own BBQ sauce, you’ll now have the most tasty tamarind bbq sauce you’ll ever enjoy. This sauce is not only meant for grilling, it makes a wicked dipping sauce for your chicken fingers and is a great topping for burgers. Store in glass containers in the fridge and it will remain good for at least a couple months (it won’t last.. you’ll find uses for it before then)

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

A Tantalizing Tamarind Sauce.

May 28, 2025July 12, 201142 Comments

tamarind sauce

After posting the tambran (tamarind) ball recipe a couple days ago (sweet spicy sour tambran balls) , I realize that I still had some tamarind left back so I decided to share this recipe with you guys. Originally when I told my mom I purchased some tamarind in a box at the Asian store, she jokingly said “buh son, dais not the real thing” (gosh trinbago accent sweet eh!). So she got my dad to go out and get some of the ‘real thing” for me and sent it down with my sister (they live in Toronto and I’m in Hamilton). Sure enough it was the “tart” or sour type of tamarind we’re accustomed too in the Caribbean, but already out of the hard shell-like exterior.

This tamarind sauce is used primarily as a condiment or topping for such things as saheena, aloo pie, pholourie and doubles. But I also recall (back to my school days again) a thicker version, with a sort of amchar massala undertone that was a hit with the kids at my primary school. Maybe I’ll post that recipe the next time I get some of the ‘real’ tamarind.

You’ll Need…

200 grams tamarind pulp (about 7 oz)
3 cloves garlic
1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoon brown sugar
2-3 leaves shado beni
1 1/2 cup water

* add some salt and extra sugar if you find that the finished sauce is overly tart.

Before I go further I must let you know that there are 2 variations of this recipe. The first being the way I’ll show you below, where I’ll simmer the sauce on the stove for 10-15 minutes. The 2nd method you’ll use the same ingredients, except no cooking is involved. You simply add everything to a blender and give it a good pulse. I like to cooked version better as I find that the pungent ingredients like the shado bein and garlic is infused within the sauce and has a much milder after-taste.

The first step is to crush the pepper, garlic and shando beni into a sort of chunky paste. I give those things a rough chop and work it well in my mortar and pestle.

tambran sauce

tambran sauce (2)

tambran sauce (3)

BTW, you’ll notice that my shado beni looks a bit starving… I’m just thankful I could get fresh shado beni here, so I’m not complaining. The next step is place the tamarind paste into a sauce pan with 1 1/2 cups water. Now using your fingers, (if you didn’t get seedless), work the pulp away from the seeds and try to crush the flesh between your fingers. It will get a bit messy so you can wear disposable gloves if you wish.

Now remove the seeds and discard. Place the saucepan on medium heat, add the sugar (pinch of salt) and the crushed pepper/garlic/shado beni to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Now turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and with the pot closed, allow to cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.

tambran sauce (4)

tambran sauce (5)

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Stir every 2-3 minutes and if you find that it’s getting really thick, add a bit more water. You’re looking for a sort of thick tomato soup consistency (a little thinner than ketchup). Allow to cool before serving as the taste when it’s hot is totally different than when it’s cool. If when you taste it you find that it’s more tart (sour) than anything else, add a bit more sugar. It should be the perfect balance of tart, savory and spicy.

tambran sauce (8)

This tambran sauce rocks when you dip some saheena, aloo pie or pholourie into it!

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

I almost forgot. I’m not sure how many of you saw the message I posted on Facebook, but I mentioned that if you’d like to post any cooking/food related questions to a certified chef, who’s traveled all over the world doing his culinary thing.. now is the time to do so. A couple weeks back we met with the Rhyming Chef (Philman George) for coffee and during that meeting he agreed to take time from his hectic schedule to answer any questions you guys may have. All you have to do is leave the questions in the comment section below and I’ll send them off to him. I’ll then post the answers on the website for everyone to participate in the discussion.

You can learn more about The Rhyming Chef at his site http://www.therhymingchef.com/ A super cool ‘soldier’ with a massive passion for the culinary culture and history of the Caribbean, especially his home island of Barbuda.

I urge you to post your questions below and do check out Philman’s website for some amazing tips and cooking videos.

tamarind sauce

Tamarind Peppersauce (hot sauce + wing sauce).

Tamarind Glazed Chicken Wings.

Simple Tamarind Chutney Recipe.

Homemade Tamarind BBQ Sauce

Recipe Card

Homemade Tamarind BBQ Sauce

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A Tantalizing Tamarind Sauce.

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