Ingredients:
- 1 lb. Tamarindo (you can find it at Walmart on the produce section)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar + extra for dusting
- 1-2 Tablespoons chili powder (cayenne or any other)
- 3 tablespoons Tajin Powder (Optional) (find at Walmart or Amazon.com) (Mixture of granulated lime,salt and sugar)
Peel off the tamarindo and remove the veins. Remove some of the seeds.
In a saucepan, on medium heat, add in the water, sugar and 1-2 tablespoons of chili powder, and 1 tablespoon of Tajin, mix well and bring to a boil. Then add in the Tamarindo, give it a stir, reduce the heat to low an cook for 20 minutes or until the Tamarindo is reduce to a paste. Mash the tamarindo paste with a fork, just to make sure the Tamarindo is nice and soft, and there is no large pieces of tamarindo in the paste. Let it cool completely.
In a bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of sugar, ½ tablespoon chili powder, 1-2 tablespoon of Tajin, mix well and reserve.
Once the Tamarindo is cold, now start making your Tamarindo balls.. The Tamarindo paste is really sticky, so spray a little bit of cooking spray on your hands, and then grab 1-2 tablespoon of the paste, and roll it with your hands into a ball. (It doesn't matter if the ball is not completely round.) Keep on making the balls until you are done..
Now roll the Tamarindo balls on the sugar mixture and take this opportunity to give them a better shape (softer, rounder shape). Sprinkle your tamarindo balls with more Tajin powder o with more sugar. Place in the fridge so they can get firmer. Or enjoy while they are nice and soft!
