During my childhood days, I had not tasted Tamarind Dates Chutney much because I used to eat Chaat recipes rarely. Five years back, during a potluck, one of my friends made Bhel Puri and Samosa.
I was helping her in the kitchen. She made this Sweet Chutney as an accompaniment for Samosa. I was a beginner in cooking. I don’t know why but I always thought making this sweet chutney is a very difficult task and one could always buy it at store. When I saw her making this Sweet Cutney for about 20 people, I realized how easy it is to make at home. Moreover, when you refrigerate it, the shelf life is about 15 to 20 days. Not bad, uhh? Since then, I always make Sweet Chutney at home. If I make a batch of Sweet Chutney, my husband will ask me, “Nithi, for next two weeks, are we going to have few chaat dishes?” You know what my answer would be.
These days, I can never have Samosa without the Sweet Chutney. Even if they don’t provide Sweet Chutney, I will always have this chutney in stock at home. I would always store a cup of Sweet Chutney in the freezer and will use it whenever required. For me, Chaat recipes taste delicious with Sweet Chutney and can never be complete without these chutneys: Green Chutney and Tamarind Dates Chutney (Sweet Chutney). These chutney go well with Bhel Puri, Samosa, Ragda Patties etc. My mouth has already started watering so let’s go to the recipe.
Preparation Time. 10 minutes
Cook Time. 20 minutes
Recipe Category. Condiments
Recipe Cuisine. Indian
Makes. 1 cup
Shelf Life. 15 to 20 days (refrigerated)
Ingredients
Dates – 1/2 cup
Tamarind – 1/4 cup
Jaggery – 1/2 cup
Cumin Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Black Salt – 1/4 teaspoon
Water – 2 cups
Note. The ingredients shown will vary with the original quantity.
Preparation
1. Remove seeds and fiber from the tamarind. Also remove seeds from the dates. Boil 1.5 cups of water, and then add dates and tamarind.
2. When the dates and tamarind have boiled well and turned mushy, switch off the stove. When it has cooled down completely, transfer it to a blender and grind well.
3. Now filter the ground dates and tamarind mixture and keep it aside. In a small pan, boil 1/2 cup of water and add the jaggery.
4. Once the jaggery dissolves completely, add the filtered dates-tamarind mixture. Add chilli powder, cumin powder and black salt.
5. Stir well and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. By now, the Tamarind Dates Chutney would have thickened.
Now, Tamarind Dates Chutney (Sweet Chutney) is ready! Transfer to a dry and clean jar. Use it whenever required.
You may also want to refer the following Chaat Recipes:
Khakra Chat, Pav Bhaji, Papdi, Bhel Puri
Notes
- You can also add 1/4 teaspoon of dry ginger powder (sukku).
- If you do not have black salt, add chaat masala instead.
- If you want the chutney to be loose, then you do not have to simmer it down. I wanted a thick Sweet Chutney and hence I simmer it until it thickened.
- If you want the chutney to be more sweeter, add more jaggery.
- For more spice, increase the quantity of red chilli powder.
nithyascorner 