30-Minute Tamarind Chutney (Imli Chutney)
Tamarind Chutney, also known as imli chutney is a spicy, sweet and sour sauce served with indian chaat and snacks like pakora and samosas. This north Indian style tamarind chutney is made without dates and uses jaggery.
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 bhuna jeera
- 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 string. 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 strings, 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
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- Spices - You could add a cinnamon stick, black peppercorn or powder or 1-2 pods of green cardamom
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- Add heat- Add extra chili pepper flakes while cooking for added heat into the chutney.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- Serve with pappadam and all sorts of indian snacks like samosas, samosa pinwheels, samosa tart, pyaz kachori, pakoras like paneer pakora or baingan pakora.
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- Drizzle on top of aloo tikki chaat, papri chaat, aloo chaat, sprouts chaat, moong dal dahi vada.
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- You could serve it as sweet chutney with indian appetizers like chicken tikka, lamb tikka and shami kebab.
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- My favorite tangy dip is to mix it with plain yogurt- try it!
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- Spread tamarind chutney as a spread on aloo sandwich or wraps.
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- At north iIndian weddings, they serve tamarind chutney with melon seeds, banana slices and green grapes - a weirdly delicious combo!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!