Go feast yourself!: Tamarind Balls

Preface. The first time I tried tamarind in its pure form, I was very young and careless. My lips and mouth hated me for days. It's VERY sour. Years later I learned that Sinigang, one of my favorite filipino dishes that my parents make, is actually infused with tamarind. Lessoned learned: a little bit of tamarind goes a LONG way.

Inspiration. I was watching Everyday Exotic with Roger Mooking, a mutli-ethnic, fun loving, culinary extraordinaire from Canada. His theme for that day or "obedient ingredient, as he likes to call it, was tamarind...specifically in dessert form. I was intrigued.

Nausea, Heartburn, Indigestion, Upset Tummy, Diarrhea! Yay for Tamarind!!!

(sorry Pepto Bismol). Seriously though, If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, tamarind (this snack in particular) helps to aid in 4/5 of those things. I speak from experience!! I don't know if this is well known to be a cleansing ingredient or if it's a collaboration of effects from both the super sour tamarind and the super spicy Sriracha that allows this to happen, but after I snacked on these my body completely CLEANSED itself out. I felt sooo much better after eating it. I've never tried the Master Cleanse lemonade diet, but I'd imagine it's similar except tamarind balls actually have more nutritional benefits like Vitamin C (duh), Calcium,Magnesium, & Potassium.

Don't let these donut hole imposters fool ya!! haha

Tamarind is kind of an acquired taste...just think of this as being similar to Sour Gummy Worms or Sour Patch Kids haha. If you dare to,

What you'll need:
- 1 7oz package of fresh tamarind paste
- 1 1/4 C sugar
- 1 tsp of Sriracha (Thai hot sauce)
- pinch of salt

Set aside 1/4 C of sugar for coating.

In a bowl, fold and knead together using your hands all the ingredients until well incorporated. Shape into balls. Then roll around in sugar until fully coated.