Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is a tropical leguminous tree native to Africa. The tamarind fruits are brown and shaped like Nkarika (in Ibibio/Efik ), also known as Dennettia tripetala, only larger and the shell harder. These brown pods are filled with seeds surrounded by sweet, sour to tangy, but fibrous pulp.
Its taste is similar to African velvet tamarind that is Dialium guineense, also called Ukak (in Ibibio), Nchichi/Icheku (in Igbo), Awin (in Yoruba), Tsamiyar kurm (in Hausa).
The shape is same as Nkarika, known as pepper fruit (in English) and as Dennettia tripetala (botanical name).
I remember watching a video online about tamarind; I think it was shared by my friend, so I was excited when I saw it at the supermarket. Being a healthy living fanatic, I proceeded to buy it. It’s so yummy to eat.
As a new plant mother, I decided I’ll save the seeds for planting. It looked like something I should not discard. I’ll come to know later what a good decision I made.
While making plans and writing a list of things to buy in preparation for repotting my plants, I searched how to plant tamarind seeds. I’d imagined it’ll make a potable shrub, one I can move easily when I eventually move house.
Unfortunately, it ain’t. It grows into a tall evergreen tree, requires tropical temperatures, and takes at least 3-4 years to fruit.
“Lol. Yay, nay. I’ll pass on this one.“, I told myself.
As a result of the failure to take off, I searched for other options, and roasting popped up.
I had been feeling quite lazy to roast it but, with the lockdown and inability to move around. I opted to roast my tamarind seeds. And the result is impressive. How did I do it? Read on.
Roasting tamarind seeds
1. Prepare the tamarind seeds.
Crack open the tamarind fruit and separate the seeds from the pulp. Then, wash and dry the seeds with a paper towel. You could leave it to dry at room temperature.
In my case, I saved my seeds while eating the pulp as fruit in more than one but less than two weeks. If you don’t want to eat the pulp, you can make a paste or juice out of it. Tamarind paste is used in a range of cuisines.
2. Roast the tamarind seed
Dry roast the tamarind seeds in a pan for 15 – 20 mins. The seed’s shell will turn black as a result. The roasting time also depends on how compact the tamarinds are on the heat transfer surface. Stir occasionally to enhance uniform heat transfer. Roast till spluttering.
Spluttering is an indicator that the shells are bursting open, which is essential for dehulling.
The aroma while roasting it smelt partly like frying groundnut and partly like coffee. Once down, take off the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
3. Dehull the roast tamarind seeds
Dehulling can be defined as the process of removing the hull from the cotyledons of the pulses
–Tiwari et al. 2007
In simple terms, removing the protective outer covering of a seed, fruit, or vegetable.
The common tool for this operation is the mortar and pestle. This very important tool crushes and separates the outer shell of the seed. Don’t apply too much force, so it doesn’t split the seeds.
I don’t have mortar and pestle, so I placed the seeds on a towel, covered them, and rolled. This rolling action rubbed the seeds against themselves, causing some shells to separate. Furthermore, I used a rolling pin to dehull even more seeds then peeled off the stubborn ones using my nails.
The result
Store in a tight container or process further
Tamarind seeds are tough and will put your teeth to the test. You can keep it in your mouth and suck on it like hard candy. Even then, the seeds are still hard unless you suck for a very long or your saliva is made of strong softening agents.
The roast seeds can be further processed by grinding for use as, e.g. coffee substitutes. You can also soak, then either chew the now soften seeds or use them in cooking.
I chose to soak mine.
There you have it, three easy steps to roasting tamarind seeds. Happy experimenting.
