Tamarind and Palm Sugar Popsicles With Chili Salt Recipe

By
Sohla El-Waylly
Sohla El-Waylly

Sohla El-Waylly is a culinary creator, video host, and CIA graduate whose work can be found on Serious Eats, Bon Appetit, The New York Times, Food52, YouTube, and more.

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Updated April 15, 2020
20180615-popsicles-tamarind-cane-sugar-chili-vicky-wasik-10
Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • A touch of gelatin gives the popsicles a tender, icy bite.
  • Adding a measured amount of ice to the hot base quickly chills and dilutes it.
  • Malic acid is added to the chili salt for a mouthwatering hit of acid.

If you grew up on the salty and spicy tamarind-flavored candy Pelon Pelo Rico, then you'll love these popsicles, which are inspired by the sticky, sweet treat. The biggest challenge of this recipe is procuring the ingredients, but you can get most of them online. Palm sugar adds a caramelized sweetness to the tart tamarind concentrate that flavors these pops. Just before serving they're dipped in a perky chili salt spiked with malic acid for a tongue curling bite.

Recipe Details

Tamarind and Palm Sugar Popsicles With Chili Salt Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 9 hrs
Serves 10 popsicles

Ingredients

  • 1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin

  • 2 pieces (4.3 ounces; 120g) palm sugar

  • 3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces; 40g) tamarind concentrate (no sugar added)

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne powder

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon malic acid (see note)

Directions

  1. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup (120ml) room temperature water and set aside to bloom.

  2. Using a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pan, crush the palm sugar into small pieces. In a small sauce pot, combine the palm sugar with 1 cup (240ml) water and heat, stirring occasionally, just until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin mixture and tamarind concentrate. Add an additional 8 ounces (240g) ice by weight or 1 cup of ice water by volume to dilute and chill the popsicle base.

  3. Divide evenly among 10 (3-fluid-ounce) popsicle molds and freeze until just beginning to firm, about 30 minutes. Insert popsicle sticks and continue freezing until completely solid, about 8 hours. To un-mold, dunk molds in hot tap water for a few seconds and jiggle sticks to release. Wrap individually in plastic and freeze for up to 3 weeks.

  4. For the chili salt, in a small bowl combine the cayenne, sugar, salt, and malic acid. Dip the edge of each popsicle into the chili salt before serving.

Notes

Malic acid is a natural fruit acid. It has a softer acidity than citric acid, providing just enough tart punch without actually punching you in the mouth.

Special Equipment

Popsicle molds

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
60Calories
0gFat
15gCarbs
0gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories60
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 213mg9%
Total Carbohydrate 15g5%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg2%
Calcium 5mg0%
Iron 0mg1%
Potassium 34mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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