Tamarind chutney or imli chutney is a popular Indian condiment used to make chats and is also served with snacks like samosas. This sweet & tangy tamarind chutney is extremely flavorful and tastes delicious. A well prepared tamarind chutney elevates the taste & flavor of the chats. So one of the key step to make good chaats is to make a good tamarind chutney which has the right balance of sweet, tang and spice with bursting flavors. Tamarind chutney is a sweet & sour Indian condiment made with tamarind, salt, jaggery & spice powders. Optionally dates are added to make it healthier and flavorful.
We also call this chutney as as saunth chutney or sonth chutney as this chutney is spiced with ground ginger powder.
Dried ginger roots or dry ginger powder is also called as ‘Saunth’ or ‘Soonth’ in Hindi. Hence the name of this condiment.
The consistency of this imli chutney is slightly thick with a smooth texture. It has the sourness of tamarind balanced with the sweetness of the jaggery (Indian unrefined sugar made from sugarcane juice) and the earthiness and mild hotness coming from the dry ginger powder, cumin and red chili powder.
This tamarind chutney is often used in North Indian chaat snacks like dahi vada, samosa chaat, aloo tikki chaat etc. It is also served with samosa, kachori, pani puri and pakora.
You can store this imli ki meethi chutney in an air-tight bottle in the fridge and it lasts well for 4 to 5 months.
You can use tamarind paste or concentrate for the chutney. Depending on the tartness of the concentrate or paste, you will have to adjust the quantity of water and jaggery. Lets check out the recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
tamarind – ½ cup seedless tightly packed
Jaggery- ½ cup
Dates- ½ cup (Deseeded)
red chilli powder- ½ to 1 tsp
roasted saunf powder- ½ tsp (roasted fennel powder)
roasted jeera powder- ½ tsp (roasted cumin powder)
ginger powder- ½ tsp
Black Salt- ½ tsp (or regular salt as needed)
roasted coriander powder- ¾ tsp (or ¼ tsp garam masala)
Water- 2 cups (½ cup more if needed)
PROCEDURE:
To a bowl, add tamarind, dates, jaggery, 2 cups water and red chilli powder.
Pour 1 cup water to your pressure cooker, place a rack/ trivet. Keep the bowl of ingredients inside. Cover the bowl. Cover the pressure cooker.
Pressure cook for 3 whistles on a medium heat. If using Instant pot, press the pressure cook button and set the timer to 9 to 10 minutes.
Once done, wait for the pressure to release completely. Remove the bowl and add all of the spice powders. Mix and cover immediately so the flavors will be absorbed.
Cool this completely. Using a masher, mash it very well or blend in a blender. Place a strainer over a large bowl and add the cooked tamarind paste. Pass it through the sieve. Taste test and add more salt and spice if needed.
Store tamarind chutney in a clear jar and refrigerate.
This chutney turns thick due to the addition of dates. So you will need to bring to consistency before using in chaats. Scoop a few tbsps from the bottle to a bowl and add some hot water. Mix up well. This will refresh your tamarind chutney.
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