A chaat is so incomplete without the dates and tamarind to spruce it up. This chutney is a very healthy one considering the ingredients that goes into it. This chutney is also known Khajur(Dates) Imli (Tamarind) ki Chutney or Meetha Chutney. Though it is available at big supermarkets in bottled form, I prefer making it at home as it takes very less ingredients and also it is much more economical, super easy and without any added preservatives. My kids love this chutney so much that they can eat it almost with everything and anything.
Having a bottle of this chutney in your fridge takes care of your instant cravings in a very healthy way. Need ideas on how else to use this sweet chutney other than in chaats??? My kids douse a liberal quantity of this chutney over a pack of murmura/pori (Rice krispies) and tuck it in. You can serve it with nachos as a dip. Have chapathis at hand, slather a liberal dose of this chutney, sprinkle some boiled sprouts, finely chopped veggies like carrots, cucumber and zucchini, season to your taste and serve as Wraps. The ideas are plenty if you let it grow on you.
Dates Tamarind Chutney Recipe
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Makes: 1 cup | Shelf life: 10 days
Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Condiments
Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Condiments
Ingredients:
- Dates – 1/2 cup
- Tamarind – 1/4 cup
- Jaggery (Molasses) – 1/2 cup
- Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
- Roasted Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
- Dry Ginger powder (sonth / sukku) – 1/4 tsp
- Black salt – 1/4 tsp
- Water – 2 cups
Instructions:
- Crumble the jaggery. Remove any seeds and fibre from tamarind. If using seeded dates, remove the seeds.
- Heat water in a pan and add all the ingredients to the hot water. Let it simmer for 5-7 minutes till the jaggery completely dissolves. Take off fire. Close with a lid and let it cool down completely. I leave it for 2-3 hours so that the dates and tamarind could soften well and absorb the other spices.
- Transfer the entire contents to a blender and grind till smooth to a sauce consistency. Add less then 1/4 cup of water if you find the mixture very thick to grind.
- Transfer the ground chutney to a pan and bring it to a boil over low flame. When you start to see small bubbles around the chutney, take off fire and let it cool completely.
- Transfer to a dry, clean jar and use as required. You can keep this chutney up to 10 days if refrigerated.
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Notes:
- If you do not have roasted cumin powder, simply dry roast the cumin seeds in a pan add the cumin with the other ingredients.
- If you do not have dry ginger powder, simply add 1/2 inch dry ginger (sukku / sonth) instead.
- If you do not have black salt, replace with chaat masala powder.
- You can also add 2-3 dry whole red chillies instead of the powder. Make sure to remove the seeds before adding.
- As I let the ingredients to soak in well, it gets ground smooth and I never pass the chutney through a sieve.
- Simmering the chutney after grinding is optional. I normally do it as it not only helps to thicken the chutney, but also gets rid of any raw smell of the ingredients and also increases the shelf life.
This is such a fantastic recipe. I made this for a party during Diwali and stored the excess in the fridge and completely forgot about it. Last week while cleaning out I found it and to my surprise it did not spoil at all. Finished it off by making bhel puri and even after a month it tasted just great. Thanks a lot. – Kajal.
Amazing,need a samosa recipe from you now please. Thanks Usha