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    Home » Recipes » Salad Dressing Recipes

    Salty Tamarind Dressing

    Published: Jul 22, 2019 · Modified: Jan 13, 2021 by The Devil Wears Salad

    Jump to Recipe

    This Salty Tamarind Dressing is no ordinary salad dressing. Combining some fragrant and strong flavoured ingredients, this Asian dressing is definitely one that commands attention.

    Salty Tamarind Dressing

    Our Salty Tamarind dressing is not for the faint hearted. To many people, the shrimp paste used in the tamarind dressing can be very pungent but once combined well with the tamarind pulp and palm sugar, the concoction is so delicious – sweet, sour and salty all together. It literally is an explosion of flavours in one mouth full. 

    So what is shrimp paste?

    Originating from Southeast Asia, shrimp paste is made of tiny shrimp that is salted, dried under sunlight for a couple of days before they are pounded and then left to ferment over a period of time.

    It has a pungent aroma that is essential in many curries, soup noodles, sauces and sambal chilli. Not to everyone’s taste (most likely due to the strong smell) but once you know how to use it well, it adds so much depth and savoury notes. 

    Shrimp paste does come in many forms. Ranging from salty pale liquid “harm ha” sauce used often in Cantonese stir fries to a thick pungent molasses-like shrimp paste used in Malaysian and Indonesian cooking and of course the hardened dark brown blocks of belacan essential in spicy Malaysian sambal. 

    The shrimp paste in this recipe is the thick molasses-like version so we can mix it well in the tamarind dressing plus adding in delicious salty flavours. 

    All the ingredients in the dressing can be bought from most Asian grocery stores. You can also substitute tamarind pulp in this recipe with tamarind puree. Saves you from soaking the pulp.

    And of course if you prefer more heat, add more chilli. All our salad recipes can be tweaked to your liking. 

    Salty Tamarind Dressing Ingredients

    Tamarind pulp: This the “wet” version of the tamarind of which you can purchase in a vacuum packed packet. You can get this Wet Tamarind Paste and it’s also seedless.

    Shrimp paste: Shrimp paste comes in many forms but for this recipe use the Tra Chang Thai Shrimp Paste which is a thick paste. Don’t get the dried blocks (belachan) as it won’t really work for what we need.

    Palm sugar: Palm sugar comes in packets in your Asian grocers either in small oval blocks or in a large cylinder. Either is fine to use.

    Lime: A lot of flavours going on in this recipe, all competing to stand out. Let’s add some lime to round it all together in perfect harmony.

    Peanut oil: Sticking to quintessential Asian ingredients, we have used peanut oil. You can of course substitute this with an oil of your choice if you need a nut free version.

    Red chillies: No Asian recipe would be complete without some spicy chillies! 

    Salty Tamarind Dressing Method

    All the ingredients in the dressing can be bought from most Asian grocery stores. I’ve used tamarind pulp in this recipe but you can also purchase tamarind puree from major supermarkets. Saves you from soaking the pulp.

    To start the tamarind dressing, soak tamarind pulp in a little warm water until soft. Then strain it in a large bowl and remove the pips. 

    In the tamarind pulp, add shrimp paste and palm sugar and whisk well until you have a thick smooth consistency. Then add lime juice and peanut oil to thin the dressing. Mix well. 

    Add crushed chilli to taste. If you prefer it more spicy, add extra chilli.. 

    Best Salad for This Dressing

    Thai Green Mango Salad with Salty Tamarind Dressing

    Combining exotic flavours in salty tamarind dressing served with prawns, crunchy green mango, grilled pineapple and cucumber, this Thai Green Mango Salad recipe is super refreshing. Great starter to get the taste buds moving.

    Green Mango Salad with Grilled Pineapple and Salty Tamarind Dressing on 2 white plates with sauce on the side and silver fork and spoon

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    Salty Tamarind Dressing

    Recipe

    Salty Tamarind Dressing
    Print Recipe
    4.97 from 33 votes

    Salty Tamarind Dressing

    This Salty Tamarind Dressing is no ordinary salad dressing. Combining some fragrant and strong flavoured ingredients, this Asian dressing is definitely one that commands attention.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Total Time10 minutes mins
    Course: Salad Dressing
    Cuisine: Asian
    Dietary: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Pescatarian, Vegetarian
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 228.63kcal
    Author: Sammy Eng

    Ingredients

    • 4 tbsp palm sugar
    • 4 tbsp tamarind pulp
    • 4 tbsp peanut oil
    • 2 tbsp lime
    • 2` tbsp shrimp paste
    • 2 red chillies, finely chopped

    Click on the toggle below for conversion to US Cooking Units.

    Instructions

    • Soak tamarind pulp in a little warm water until soft. Then strain it in a large bowl and remove the pips.
    • In the tamarind pulp, add shrimp paste and palm sugar and whisk well until you have a thick smooth consistency.
    • Add lime juice and peanut oil to thin the dressing. Mix well.
    • Add crushed chilli to taste. If prefer more spicy, add more.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 228.63kcal | Carbohydrates: 21.51g | Protein: 6.18g | Fat: 14.4g | Saturated Fat: 2.41g | Cholesterol: 85.5mg | Sodium: 293.13mg | Potassium: 100.48mg | Fiber: 0.81g | Sugar: 17.46g | Vitamin C: 2.81mg | Calcium: 41.84mg | Iron: 0.99mg

    *Disclaimer: Nutritional information provided is an estimate only and generated by an online calculator.

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