Tamarind Chutney Recipe Imli Chutney Whiskaffair

on Aug 08, 2022, Updated Nov 09, 2023 You may like more chutney recipes: Dahi Chutney, Rajasthani Garlic Chutney, Raw Mango Chutney, and Green Chutney.

About Tamarind Chutney

Tamarind Chutney (Imli Ki Chutney, Sonth) is an Indian sauce made using tamarind, jaggery, and spices. It has a sweet, sour, spicy taste and a thick, smooth texture. The sourness of the tamarind is perfectly balanced with the jaggery, and the spices give it a spicy kick. These days, imli ki chutney is readily available in the market, but I prefer to make mine at home. Store-bought chutney has a lot of sugar added, while when making it at home, you can choose to use jaggery and reduce the quantity. Store-bought chutney is also loaded with colors, preservatives, and other chemicals, but no chemicals are added when made at home. Homemade chutney is also much more economical. The best part is that you can prepare this chutney and store it in the fridge for 3-4 months, so it comes in handy whenever you want to add that spicy, tangy, sweet taste to your dishes. This recipe is vegan and can easily be made gluten-free. I get approximately 2 cups of chutney using this recipe. You can easily double or triple the recipe to make it for a crowd. Tamarind – Also known as Imli, this is the star ingredient of this tamarind chutney recipe. Use seedless tamarind to make this recipe. It is easily available at any Indian grocery store. You can also make the chutney using ready tamarind pulp. It will save you some time, too. Jaggery (Gud) – Jaggery balances that tangy taste of the tamarind pretty well. Some people use sugar instead of jaggery, but I prefer it because it is much healthier. It also gives the imli ki chutney an earthy taste. You can also replace jaggery with brown sugar or demerara sugar. Make sure to buy organic jaggery that is dark in color. The light-colored jaggery has chemicals added to it to lighten its color. You can crush the jaggery using something heavy (e.g., a rolling pin, or a meat tenderizer) or use powdered jaggery to save time. Raisins (Kishmish) – Adding raisins is optional, but I like the flavor and bite they add to this chutney. You can choose to skip it. Ginger – Fresh ginger adds the much-needed heat to this chutney. You can replace fresh ginger with ground ginger (dry ginger powder, saunth). Other – You will also need Kashmiri red chili powder (or cayenne pepper), roasted cumin powder, coarse fennel seed powder (saunf powder), asafetida (hing), black salt (kala namak), and regular salt. You can also add a few dates (khajoor) to the imli chutney recipe for natural sweetness. If doing so, reduce the amount of jaggery a bit. Many people add thinly sliced bananas and halved green grapes to the cooled chutney before serving it. Skip asafetida for a gluten-free chutney. Some people add melon seeds (kharbooje ke beej) along with raisins. Mash it well using your hands. Add 1 cup of hot water over the leftover pulp and strain it again. Keep pressing it with the back of a large spoon to get the maximum pulp. Discard the leftover tamarind pulp. Add the following ingredients to the pan and mix well.

1 cup (250 g) of crushed jaggery 2 teaspoon grated ginger 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder 1 teaspoon coarse fennel powder ½ teaspoon asafetida 1 teaspoon black salt ½ teaspoon regular salt

Cook the mixture on medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently. If the chutney has thickened too much, add some water to it and bring it to a boil. I like mine to have a pouring consistency. Check for salt and add more if needed. Remove the pan from the heat and bring the chutney to room temperature. Transfer it to a glass container and store it in the refrigerator. Use as desired!