Southeast Asian cooking gets its sourness from tamarind, not lemon — the sticky, tangy pulp of the tamarind pod is what makes pad thai balanced, tom yum bright, and a Malaysian asam laksa sing. Grocery tamarind is often a watery concentrate or an Indian-style block meant for other cuisines. These sellers carry the pulp and concentrate Thai and Malaysian recipes actually call for.
Published July 2026 · Updated 7 Jul 2026
A Thai importer carrying tamarind (makham) in the forms Thai cooking uses — seedless pulp you soak and strain, and ready concentrate — for pad thai sauce, tom yum, and sour curries. Flat-rate shipping, running since 1999. Stocked and turned over for people cooking real Thai food.
Why it isn't on AmazonThe tamarind that makes pad thai sauce taste right is a specific Thai grade, not the generic block sold for other cuisines — a Thai importer is where you get the correct one.
See it at ImportFood →The woman- and minority-owned Chicago SE-Asian shop carries tamarind across the region — Malaysian asam jawa for laksa and the sour pastes that anchor dishes from asam to Filipino sinigang. Continental US shipping, packable with the rest of a Southeast Asian order.
Why it isn't on AmazonMalaysian and Indonesian asam products almost never turn up in a regular grocery — a curated SE-Asian importer is one of the few US sources for the sour base those dishes need.
See it at Pandan Market →The Los Angeles Thai grocer stocks tamarind concentrate and pulp alongside the rest of a Thai pantry, shipping nationwide in 2–3 days. A dependable second source when you're already ordering curry paste, palm sugar, and fish sauce for the same dishes.
Why it isn't on AmazonTamarind from a working Thai grocer is kept for cooks who use it constantly, so you get a fresh, usable pulp rather than a hardened brick that's sat forgotten on a shelf.
See it at Temple of Thai →This seat's open on purpose — we won't pad the list to hit a number. If you ship real tamarind & sour pastes direct, it's earned, not sold.
Add your brand →Pulp (often a seedless block) is the raw fruit — you soak it in warm water, mash, and strain out the fibers to get tamarind liquid, which gives the freshest, brightest flavor. Concentrate is a thick, dark, ready-to-use extract that's more convenient but often more sour and less nuanced. 'Paste' can mean either; check the texture. For pad thai, either works if you adjust the amount.
It's the same fruit, but the products differ. Thai and Malaysian recipes usually want a milder, fresher tamarind pulp or concentrate; the very dark, intensely sour concentrate sold for Indian cooking can overpower a delicate tom yum or pad thai. Buying from a Thai or SE-Asian source gets you the grade and strength the recipe was written for.
Break off a chunk, cover it with warm water (roughly equal parts), and let it soak for 10–15 minutes until soft. Mash it with your fingers or a fork, then push it through a strainer, scraping the thick liquid off the bottom and discarding the seeds and fibers. That strained liquid is what recipes mean by tamarind water or juice.
Blocks of pulp are shelf-stable for a long time in a sealed container, though they harden as they age (still usable — just soak longer). Opened concentrate should go in the fridge, where it keeps for months. If you make tamarind water, use it within a few days or freeze it in an ice-cube tray for single-recipe portions.
Make or grow real tamarind & sour pastes and think you belong here? Tell us → — features are on merit, never for sale.
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