Tamarind Chutney

October 2, 2016

Tamarind Chutney - kvalifood.com

Tamarind chutney (imli ki chutney) is a sweet-sour Indian condiment made from tamarind, dates, and jaggery. It is the dark, glossy sauce drizzled over chaat, served alongside samosas, and paired with green chutney at every Indian street food stall. Sometimes called saunth chutney after the dry ginger powder that flavors it.

Makes ca. 1.5 cups

Ingredients

75 g seedless tamarind, packed
75 g seedless dates
480 ml water
100 g jaggery, grated or chopped – or 75 g brown sugar
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
1/2 tsp dry ginger powder (sonth)
1/2 tsp black salt (kala namak)
1/4 tsp salt, to taste

Directions

Combine the tamarind, dates, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes until both are completely soft.
Let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan, pressing with a spoon to extract all pulp. Discard the fibrous residue.
Place the strained pulp over medium heat. Add the jaggery and stir until dissolved, 2-3 minutes.
Add the cumin powder, chili powder, ginger powder, black salt, and regular salt. Stir well.
Simmer 5-6 minutes until the chutney reaches a pourable but slightly thick consistency. It thickens further as it cools.
Taste and adjust: more jaggery for sweeter, more chili for heat, more salt to balance.
Cool completely. Transfer to a clean glass jar.

Notes

Straining is essential – tamarind is full of fibers that make the chutney grainy if left in.
The equal-parts tamarind and dates ratio gives the best balance of sweet and sour.
Jaggery is more traditional than sugar and adds depth. Brown sugar is a reasonable substitute.
Refrigerates 2-3 weeks. Freezes well in ice cube trays for 2-3 months.
Drizzle over chaat (sev puri, bhel puri, dahi vada, papdi chaat). Serve alongside samosas, pakoras, and kachori. Pair with green chutney – the classic street food duo.