Make your own Sampalok Candy at home! With a delicious medley of sweet, sour, and salty flavors, this tamarind candy is seriously addictive. Great for gift-giving or for any time you need a fruity treat!
I found sweet tamarind for sale at Seafood City on my last grocery trip, and since they're not available regularly and they happen to be my all-time favorite, I bought a bagful of about four pounds.
As much as I love the fruit, four pounds proved to be A LOT. I spent the whole weekend snacking on my precious stash and still had roughly two pounds left, so I decided to turn them into sampalok candy.
Was I glad I did! These tamarind candies were a treat with the perfect sweet, sour, and salty balance.
Unfortunately, I can only guesstimate the recipe's yield as I couldn't resist popping one tamarind ball after the other while shaping and coating them in sugar and salt. Fortunately, the recipe makes plenty and more than enough to feed my cravings for weeks!
What you'll need
These tropical treats are easy to make and require just four ingredients.
- Tamarind pods- use ripe fruit, not unripe ones used for sinigang.
- Water- to soften the fruit and draw out the pulp
- Sugar- adds sweetness
- Salt- balances the sweetness
Helpful tips
- In commercial preparations, adding mashed sweet potatoes (kamote) to extend servings economically is customary. Our recipe is pure tamarind pulp and sugar, so the resulting product is softer in texture. Refrigerate the cooked mixture until completely cool to make shaping and rolling easier.
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion the candies quickly and evenly.
- Add chili powder to the sugar-salt coating mixture for a delicious hint of spice.
How to store
- Wrap three to four pieces of sampalok candy in cellophane and place in a resealable bag or container with a lid.
- You can also store them, unwrapped, in an airtight container.
- They'll keep at room temperature for about 1 week or in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.
- Hull the tamarind, removing the outer shell and inner strings to separate the fruit.
- In a wide pan over medium heat, combine tamarind pulp, water, 1 ยฝ cups of the sugar and ยฝ teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil.
- Lower heat and continue to cook, stirring and mashing with the back of a spoon, for about 15 to 20 minutes or until mixture is very thick and sticky.
- Using a teaspoon or small cookie scoop, scoop tamarind mixture and drop in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each mound. Refrigerate for about 1 to 2 hours or until completely cooled and slightly hardened.
- On a large plate, combine the remaining ยฝ cup sugar and ยฝ teaspoon salt.
- Using the palm of hands, shape each tamarind mound into balls. Roll in sugar and salt mixture to fully coat.
- Wrap about three to four pieces in cellophane or store in an airtight container.
Notes
- In commercial preparations, adding mashed sweet potatoes (kamote) to extend servings economically is customary. Our recipe is pure tamarind pulp and sugar, so the resulting product is softer in texture. Refrigerate the cooked mixture until completely cool to make shaping and rolling easier.
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion the candies quickly and evenly.
- Add chili powder to the sugar-salt coating mixture for a delicious hint of spice.
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Ma. Letecia Acebedo Cayanong says
Thank you much for sharing this recipe. i've been looking for this cuz, its my fav..now i wll try to make it..thanks and more power..
Lalaine Manalo says
Enjoy!
Fernando Juco says
looks sweet and sour, yammy!
when I was in college my kapitbahay used to do this tamarind rolled in sugar and sprinkled with salt but they never cooked it. just plain tamarind, sugar and salt rolled into size and wrap with cellophane.
lorena avila says
hi ms lalaine,
ilang araw po ang shelf life ng products?
tnx so much in advance
Lalaine Manalo says
Mga 2 to 3 days po sa room temperature but best refrigerate para mas matagal kasi wala po etong preservatives.
Shane Olano says
saan ko po ba dapat i store ang tamarind na may asukal na para hnd magtunaw ang sugar? Sa refrigerator po ba or sa room temperature lang?
Lalaine Manalo says
I would store it sa refrigerator ๐
Jovelyn says
Very helpful, my niece ask me to make samples candy.
Lalaine Manalo says
Enjoy!
Tess Soriano says
I add boiled camote to neutralize the sour taste of the sampalok,
Lalaine says
Thanks for the tip, Tess. I've never tried adding camote before, sounds interesting.
Kaydeen says
Hi! How much camote do you put?
Kathie says
I just tried a tamarind candy for the first time, I found it at Cost Plus World Market! I have never had tamarind before so I didn't know what to expect, at first it was a little strange but it turns out to be very addictive! I would love to try and make this candy, I am just wondering, how can I tell if the tamarind is ripe? Thank you for sharing this recipe!
edelweiza says
Favorite ko rin to! ๐
Sheryl @ Healthoop says
Thank you for the recipe I already feel the sour taste on my tongue hehe.