Clean and wash the tamarind pods.
Place them in a large bowl, add the water and soak overnight.
Drain the liquid into another bowl and reserve.
Extract the pulp from the pods by pressing them with a wooden spoon through a fine strainer.
Strain the extracted pulp back into the reserved liq- uid.
Mix together, strain and squeeze through cheese cloth into a saucepan.
Add the sugar.
Slowly bring the mixture to the boil, stirring con- stantly.
Lower the heat and simmer until the syrup thick- ens.
Remove from the heat, cool slightly and pour into bottles.
When completely cool, seal with airtight lids.
Dilute 2 tablespoons of this syrup in a glass of iced water to make a cordial drink.
Variation To use this syrup for flavouring stews, stuffed vegetables and other foods, reduce the amount of sugar to 2 cups.