Tamarind Chutney, also known as imli chutney is a spicy, sweet and sour sauce served with indian chaat and snacks. This condiment is made with tamarind pulp, hot & tangy chaat spices, dry ginger powder and a sweetener like dates or jaggery.
I am sharing tamarind chutney recipe without dates in this post. For sweetening the chutney, I use jaggery (gur/gud) making this recipe refined sugar free. You could use sugar instead of jaggery.
It's common to discover Indian kitchen cabinets brimming with achar (pickles) and our refrigerators filled with an array of chutneys. Among many, green chutney and tamarind chutney are two condiments that I always keep on hand.
There are hundreds of ways tamarind chutney is made across the indian subcontinent. While the main ingredient aka tamarind is common, there are differences in if chutney is cooked or blended, kind of sweeteners used, spices that go in and hence the flavor profile.
I am sharing how imli chutney used to be made in our home. It is a north indian style sweet chutney recipe. We usually sweeten it with sugar or jaggery and the chutney is cooked. Come festive season and this was one of the first things that was made as part of preparation.
What is Tamarind
Tamarind is one of the most popular souring agent in south Indian cuisine. In the northern parts of India, it most commonly finds its use in chaat recipes.
The tamarind fruit grows on tall trees and is harvested by collecting the pods, which are dried and the shelled and de-seeded. To prepare it for use, the dried fruit is soaked in water, allowing it to soften. Afterwards, the fruit is squished to separate the seeds and fibers, leaving behind a thick, highly sour pulp that is utilized in cooking.
Thai Tamarind Vs Indian Tamarind
There is a difference.
- Thai tamarind is sweeter. Much sweeter. While indian tamarind is sharply sour and not at all sweet.
- Thai tamarind is quite soft & squishy. You could pull a knob with fingers. I may be wrong however, that's what I have come across in asian grocery stores . Indian tamarind is bone-dry. Unless you re hydrate it, you wont be able to work with it.
For this recipe, we need indian tamarind, sold as square blocks in grocery stores. We need to sweeten it to cut its sourness.
About Tamarind Chutney
In Hindi, Tamarind = imli. Hence, this chutney is called imli chutney or meethi chutney. This imli chutney is one of those condiments that adds a punch to any meal with its medley of flavors.
In north India, imli chutney is also called "sonth". Sonth is dry ginger powder, one of the key ingredients in making authentic tamarind chutney.
Imli chutney adds tangy and sweet kick to indian chaat recipes like aloo tikki chaat, aloo chaat, sprouts chaat. It beautifully cuts the richness of deep fried foods like pakoras and samosas.
Finding a jar of imli chutney in south asian grocery stores is effortless. Though I love the convenience many times, I feel homemade tamarind chutney tastes much better and has the added benefit of lasting longer once prepared.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy and straightforward recipe.
- It is a burst of khatta (sour) meetha (sweet) flavors making it a versatile accompaniment to many dishes. You could make it on the spicy side if desired. Trust me this sour sweet tamarind chutney is quite addictive!
- Because this tamarind chutney is cooked, it has a long shelf life. Make a large batch and it will last for months in your fridge.
- The recipe can be scaled up or down.
- Vegan & easily made gluten free (just skip the hing)
Jump to:
What is Tamarind Chutney made of
Here are the ingredients you will need
- Tamarind- Purchase a block of indian tamarind from south asian grocery stores. These days tamarind tamarind pulp is easily available in indian grocery stores. Make sure that you are purchasing pure tamarind pulp
- Spices - There are a few spices that are used whole - like cloves and fennel seeds. And then powdered spices like dry ginger powder, roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder and kala namak (tangy indian black salt)
- Red Chili Flakes - If you want to spice it up! Skip or adjust quantity as needed.
- Jaggery - You could use sugar or half brown sugar, half sugar as well. I love using jaggery because it introduces a caramel like flavor. I like to use block jaggery (Kolhapuri jaggery) and chop in myself. You could use pesi/desi or punjabi masala jaggery as well. Jaggery powder is good to use too.
- Salt & Oil , Hing(a tiny pinch)
How To Make Tamarind Chutney
Make The Tamarind Pulp
- Soak the tamarind in hot water for about 20 minutes. Once soaked, using your fingers, squeeze and squish around for 2-3 minutes or as needed to separate the seeds and fibers. This takes about 4-5 minutes. You will get a thick concentrated tamarind pulp. Some people like to cook soaked imli in pressure cooker and then squish it, this does save time, however I find that tamarind sometimes acquires a metallic taste especially when cooked in aluminum pressure cookers.
- Strain the pulp using a colander placed over a bowl. Press down using back of the spoon. You will be left with seeds and fibers, discard those.
Note - Even though the tamarind package always says seedless tamarind, I have never come across one that's fully seedless. Make sure to strain the pulp to remove the seeds entirely.
Make Tamarind Chutney
- In a saucepan, heat up the oil on low flame. Crackle the fennel seeds & cloves taking care not to burn them. Cloves pop as soon as they hit the oil so be careful about that too.
- From the side of the pan, add the tamarind pulp. Sprinkle the powdered spices- roasted cumin powder, dry ginger powder, red chilli powder, salt and kala namak and red chili flakes.
- Bring the tamarind pulp to a slow boil and then add the jaggery.
- Once you add the jaggery, let the chutney simmer for 10-12 minutes on low medium. It will boiled bubble, give it a stir here and there.
Tip - Don't add any more water until the jaggery has fully melted. It definitely thins out the chutney.
- Once the jaggery has fully melted and you see no particles, taste the chutney and adjust the sweetness, spiciness, or salt as per your preferences. Also, add 3-4 tablespoon water or as desired to adjust the consistency. Cook for additional 3-4 minutes after adding water.
Tip - Some people like to strain the chutney using a strainer so that its smooth. You can do so if you wish.
Store Tamarind Chutney
- Allow the tamarind chutney to cool down to room temperature.
- Pour the cooled chutney into clean, dry and air tight container or glass bottle and store refrigerated to preserve its freshness and prevent bacterial growth. Make sure that the container is made of non reactive material.You could store tamarind chutney up to 1 year. Always use a clean spoon to serve.
How To Serve Tamarind Chutney
- Serve with pappadam and all sorts of indian snacks like samosas, samosa pinwheels, samosa tart, pyaz kachori, pakoras like paneer pakora or baingan pakora.
- Drizzle on top of aloo tikki chaat, papri chaat, aloo chaat, sprouts chaat, moong dal dahi vada.
- You could serve it as sweet chutney with indian appetizers like chicken tikka, lamb tikka and shami kebab.
- My favorite tangy dip is to mix it with plain yogurt- try it!
- Spread tamarind chutney as a spread on aloo sandwich or wraps.
- At north iIndian weddings, they serve tamarind chutney with melon seeds, banana slices and green grapes - a weirdly delicious combo!
Recipe Tips
- Spices - You could add a cinnamon stick, black peppercorn or powder or 1-2 pods of green cardamom
- Add heat- Add extra chili pepper flakes while cooking for added heat into the chutney.
- Allow the tamarind chutney to simmer for a sufficient amount of time to allow the flavors to meld together. This will result in best consistency and more flavorful chutney.
- Consistency: Some people like a thin chutney, while some prefer it thickish. You can vary depending on personal preference and the dish you plan to serve it with. For a thicker chutney, simmer it for a little longer until it reaches the desired consistency. If you want a thinner chutney, add more water during the cooking process.
FAQ
Chop 100 g pitted dates and soak in ½ cup warm water until softened. Add the khajur to a blender and make a paste. When you add the jaggery, add the date paste along with it. Reduce the jaggery quantity to 90 grams.
You could experiment and add a tiny amount of fresh ginger while simmering- however its not a common practice. I would skip ginger altogether if you do not have dried ginger. Reason being the taste of fresh ginger is different from dried ginger. Dried ginger has more intense flavor and adds a distinctive heat.
Tamarind chutney has a well-balanced combination taste of sweet, tangy, and spicy elements, it also has a subtle umami undertone.
Tamarind paste is just thick tamarind pulp processed with salt until pasty. Tamarind chutney has sweet spicy and tangy flavors since its cooked with jaggery (or sugar) and spices.
Measure 1.5 cup tamarind pulp. Skip the kala namak and salt or use very less. You might need to increase the jaggery quantity as well because tamarind pulp is quite salty and sour(due to citric acid).
Tamarind Chutney (Imli Chutney)
Equipment
- Sauce Pan
- Stainer
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 100 g tamarind imli (~3.5 oz)
- 1 to1.5 cup hot water or as needed to rehydrate and fully soak the tamarind
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 2-3 cloves laung
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds I use lucknow saunf
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (hot), or use cayenne powder, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder see notes how to
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder sonth
- 1 teaspoon kala namak tangy pink indian rock salt (skip if not available, it is different from Himalayan salt)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 g jaggery substitute with 180g granulated sugar
Instructions
Make Tamarind Pulp
- Soak the tamarind in hot water for about 20 minutes. Once soaked, using your fingers, squeeze and squish around for 2-3 minutes or as needed to separate the seeds and fibers. This takes about 4-5 minutes. Note - You may need to add more water (slowly) during squeezing since the tamarind swells quite a bit and the pulp thickens as you squeeze more and more.
- Strain the pulp using a colander placed over a bowl. Press down using back of the spoon.You will be left with seeds and fibers, discard those.
MAKE TAMARIND CHUTNEY
- In a saucepan, heat up the oil on low flame. Crackle the fennel seeds,hing & cloves taking care not to burn them. Cloves pop as soon as they hit the oil so be careful about that too.
- From the side of the pan, carefully add the tamarind pulp.
- Sprinkle the powdered spices- roasted cumin powder, dry ginger powder, red chilli powder, salt and kala namak, red chili flakes.
- Bring the tamarind pulp to a slow boil and let simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Then add the jaggery. Once you add the jaggery, let the chutney simmer for 12-15 minutes on low medium. It will boil & bubble, keep an eye and give it a stir here and there.Adjust the time depending on how thick you like the consistency. Tip - Don't add any more water until the jaggery has fully melted. It definitely thins out the chutney.
- Once the jaggery has fully melted and you see no particles, taste the chutney and adjust the sweetness, spiciness, or salt as per your preferences. Also, add 3-4 tablespoon water or as desired to adjust the consistency at this point. Cook for additional 3-4 minutes after adding water. Let cool fully. Note - Chutney thickens considerably after cooling down. It will thicken more as it sits so keep a bit runny to begin with.
- Some people like to strain the chutney using a strainer so that its smooth. You can do so if you wish.
Store Tamarind Chutney
- Allow the tamarind chutney to cool down to room temperature.
- Pour the cooled chutney into clean, dry and air tight container or glass bottle and store refrigerated to preserve its freshness and prevent bacterial growth. Make sure that the container is made of non reactive material. You could store tamarind chutney up to 1 year. Always use a clean spoon to serve.
Video
Notes
-
- Spices - You could add a cinnamon stick, black peppercorn or powder or 1-2 pods of green cardamom
-
- Add heat- Add extra chili pepper flakes while cooking for added heat into the chutney.
-
- Allow the tamarind chutney to simmer for a sufficient amount of time to allow the flavors to meld together. This will result in best consistency and more flavorful chutney.
-
- Consistency: Some people like a thin chutney, while some prefer it thickish. You can vary depending on personal preference and the dish you plan to serve it with. For a thicker chutney, simmer it for a little longer until it reaches the desired consistency. If you want a thinner chutney, add more water during the cooking process.
- Serve with pappadam and all sorts of indian snacks like samosas, samosa pinwheels, samosa tart, pyaz kachori, pakoras like paneer pakora or baingan pakora.
- Drizzle on top of aloo tikki chaat, papri chaat, aloo chaat, sprouts chaat, moong dal dahi vada.
- You could serve it as sweet chutney with indian appetizers like chicken tikka, lamb tikka and shami kebab.
- My favorite tangy dip is to mix it with plain yogurt- try it!
- Spread tamarind chutney as a spread on aloo sandwich or wraps.
- At north iIndian weddings, they serve tamarind chutney with melon seeds, banana slices and green grapes - a weirdly delicious combo!
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