It’s time for TAMARIND

Vegetable soup delicately balances sweet and sour

I am a lover of soups that seamlessly balance contrasting flavors — the herbed, spicy bite of a classic Lagosian pepper soup or the coconut creaminess and tomatoey sharpness of a moqueca. I’ve written about the restorative nature of brothy soups and the comfort of umami-rich stews like maafé.

It’s soups that delicately combine sweet and sour, however, that excite me most, especially during the long winter months. And the chase for the right ingredients at the perfect moment to yield that symmetry is particularly thrilling to me. In a matter of miles, citrus, herbs and chiles can all taste different, even within the same season — which means the end result will, too. As close as I may come, I may never exactly produce the same dish twice. It’s part of what makes cooking feel fleeting.

This is why tamarind has been among my favorite ingredients: It always manages to surprise me. Lively with deep notes, tamarind awakens the senses. Its tartness will make you pucker, while its sourness introduces itself gently, surrounding the palate but not quite taking over. I love this subtlety. I would always rather be eased into acidity, something that tamarind does so well.

There are plenty of options to consider when buying tamarind. You can start with the whole fruit, which can be found as pods or as a brick of pulp, to make your own purée. Or, for convenience, you can find jarred purées and concentrates with varying degrees of acidity, depending on how much the sauce has been cooked down. I find the taste, smell and texture to differ distinctly from brand to brand. The logical part of my mind is frustrated by this, but the culinary part of my mind knows that this is where the excitement begins.

In this light, brothy soup, packed with a delicious punch from tamarind, lemon grass, ginger and chiles, the interplay of ingredients means it’s a dish that’s ever-changing, and that’s part of its allure. It is a soup that’s all about balance. The first spoonful is both sweet and sour, with a deeply rich color that belies an effortlessly sippable broth. Fresh herbs like dill and cilantro are the finishing touches — one last welcome surprise in a soup that’s deftly filled with them.

KELLY MARSHALL/THE NEW YORK TIMES PHOTOS Full of lemon grass, tamarind and tofu, this light vegetable soup is a little different each time you make it — and that’s part of the allure.

Ingredients include tamarind, above in a pulp, a concentrate and fruit.