Tamarind

Why tamarind is rated low

Tamarind is low at about 4 medium (8g), a small amount of pulp, and the fructans it carries build as the portion grows: larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. Tamarind is a sour fruit paste, and the sourness is exactly why most recipes only ever ask for a little of it, stirred through a curry, a chutney or a dressing. Used as a bright accent it stays low, while a dish where tamarind is the bulk of the sauce climbs quickly.

What changes your risk

• Accent versus base about 4 medium (8g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. Tamarind behaves as a flavouring, and the rating holds as long as it stays one. A dish where tamarind is the main body of the sauce is a different amount entirely.
• Pulp, paste and concentrate are not the same spoonful Concentrate is reduced, so a spoon of it stands in for a much larger amount of pulp. Match the spoon to what the jar actually is rather than to what the recipe assumed.
• What the sauce is built on The real risk with tamarind is often not the tamarind. Ready made tamarind sauces, pad thai sauces, sambar and rasam mixes and bottled chutneys are usually built on onion and garlic, which add far more fructans than the fruit does. Build the base with garlic infused oil, chives and the green tops of spring onions instead.
• Sweetened tamarind products Tamarind candies, syrups and bottled drinks are carried by added sweeteners rather than by the fruit. Anything sweetened with honey, agave, corn syrup or sugar alcohols such as xylitol or maltitol is a separate question from the paste itself.
• Stacking across the meal Tamarind's fructans add to the fructans in the rest of the plate. A tamarind dressing on a salad that already carries onion or wheat is the combination to look at, not the tamarind alone.

What else works

Tamarind is low as a seasoning at about 4 medium (8g), so the paste itself rarely needs replacing. The swap that matters is the jar it comes in: a plain tamarind pulp or paste stirred into your own dish rather than a ready mixed sauce whose first ingredients are onion and garlic. When a bottled blend is out, garlic infused oil carries the savoury depth, and chives, leek leaves or the green tops of spring onions rebuild the aromatics. If you want more sourness than a little tamarind gives, a squeeze of lime or lemon juice adds brightness without adding more tamarind. The lookalikes that are not low are the convenience versions: bottled tamarind chutney, pad thai and sambar pastes, and sweetened tamarind drinks and sweets.

How to keep it low

Buy tamarind as a block of pulp or a plain paste and read the ingredients, because the short list is the whole point. Soak a piece of the block in hot water, press it through a sieve and freeze the strained pulp in small portions in an ice cube tray, so the amount is decided before you cook. Add tamarind at the end and taste as you go, since the sourness builds and you will often use less than the recipe suggests. In restaurants, tamarind on the menu usually signals a sauce, so ask about onion and garlic in it as well as how much tamarind it carries.

Common questions

is tamarind low fodmap

Yes, at about 4 medium (8g). Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, as its fructans build.

how much tamarind can i use

About 4 medium (8g) is the low serve, a small amount stirred through a dish. Larger portions are moderate, so tamarind works as an accent rather than a bulk ingredient.

is tamarind paste ok on the elimination phase

Plain tamarind pulp or paste at about 4 medium (8g) is low, so it fits. Check the label first, because many tamarind sauces and chutneys carry onion and garlic.

what about tamarind chutney or tamarind candy

Those are different products. Bottled chutneys and sauces are usually built on onion and garlic, and tamarind sweets and drinks are carried by added sweeteners rather than by the fruit.