Tamarind concentrate or paste is okay, too, if you can't find the tamarind, itself.
What I have been calling "fresh" tamarind may actually be dried. I had been saying "fresh" to distinguish it from something you would find in a jar or a squeeze tube.
It's available with the shells:
or without (sometimes people call THIS the "paste"):
[Note: The first photo is something I found on the Internet, since I don't usually buy it that way. The second photo IS the actual package I buy. Please pardon the yellowish cast of the overall picture due to my orange and yellow curtain, but I managed to edit and correct it some.]
I buy a one-pound package of it without the shells, put that into a saucepan, cover with double the amount of water needed to cover it, then simmer it until it reduces to about 1 1/2 cups. After it has cooled down, I strain it, divide it into three 1/2-cup packages and freeze whatever amount I won't be using right away.
My choice of 1/2-cup portions is based upon the recipe for the Tamarind-Glazed Turkey Burgers that I've mentioned before, since that is how much it uses. Otherwise, there is nothing magical about portioning to 1/2 cup.
Don't forget, once you've made your own reduced concentrate this way, that you can put some of it into a pitcher and dilute and sweeten it to taste then serve it well chilled or over ice for a VERY refreshing beverage.
(Now, given that last bit of info, I can't wait to see if Jean or Denise will come up with a "Tarmadind-tini," or something along those lines. LOL!)