One fine balmy day, at a girls tea party, the hostess had made this delightful Tamarind Date chutney. It had a thick texture, great color and tasted just like an Imli chutney should. A couple of email exchanges later, I asked the gracious hostess for the recipe. She obliged and I made the chutney with the addition of ginger powder. This recipe is dedicated to you, Sarab.
Tamarind Date chutney is like a sweet and sour dipping sauce, only that it is not too tart. The addition of jaggery and dates to the Tamarind makes it pleasantly sweet and sour. It is an essential condiment for Indian Chaats, Samosa or deep fried fritters, along with the cilantro chutney .
Tamarind Date chutney – Sweet, Tart Spicy
Ingredients
- 200 gms Tamarind
- 200 gms Jaggery
- 8 Medjool Dates finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt or as per taste
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp Ginger powder
- 5- 6 Raisins
- Water : 3 cups[ more if the Tamarind is too dry]
Instructions
- Boil the water. Break the pack of Tamarind into small sections.
- Soak the Tamarind in the boiled water for 30 minutes
- Once cool and completely soaked, mash the Tamarind and water to a pulp
- Now strain the Tamarind juice from this mix, leaving behind the seeds and other solids
- Put this juice in a heavy bottomed, non reactive pan and add the jaggery.
- Cook on high until it starts to boil, then lower heat to medium low
- cook for about 30 minutes, stirring once a while
- Now add the salt, dates, chilli powder, ginger powder & raisins. Mix
- Cook on medium low for another 20 minutes until the chutney is thick
- Let it cool before you store the chutney
Recipe Notes
This makes about two jars of 13 oz each. Store in the refrigerator for a month. When you have to use some of the chutney, transfer as much as you need to a separate bowl, add a dash of water to thin it down and your chutney is ready.