This chutney combines well with many kinds of Indian street foods like samosa, pakora, chhole, chaat etc. It brings a balance and rounds up the flavor of spicy foods.
It is popularly known as meethi chutney (sweet chutney) and traditionally uses jaggery for sweetness. But to make it healthier, I have used dates for making mine.
Ingredients
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Dates: Buy soft pitted dates (available with the name soft Datteln in Germany) to make the process easier and quicker.
Tamarind Paste: Another time saving tip is to buy tamarind paste (available at Asian section in well stocked grocery stores).
Ginger powder: Ginger powder compliments the flavor of the sweet chutney really well. It is available at most grocery stores in Germany by the name Ingwer (gemahlen).
Cumin powder: Cumin gives a nice kick to the chutney. You can either find it at grocer store by the name krezkümmel gemahlen or at Indian grocery store by the name zeera powder.
Black Salt: A pinch of black salt rounds up the flavor profile. It is available at Indian stores by the name black salt (kala namak). However if it is not easily available to you, you can replace it with regular salt.
What to serve the date and tamarind chutney with?
This chutney pair very well with most (if not all) street foods. Be it samosa, pakora, chaat or chhole. Linking some recipes which could go well with the chutney:
Date and Tamarind Chutney
Equipment
- Hand blender/ blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates (pitted)
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup Tamarind Paste (imli paste)
- 1 tsp ginger powder (Ingwer gemahlen)
- 1 tsp cumin powder (Kruezkümmel gemahlen)
- a pinch of Black salt (kala namak)
- ¼-½ cup water (adjust to preference)
Instructions
- Add the dates and water in a sauce pan and bring it to boil. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Then turn off heat. (If you are using dates that are hard, you may need to cook them longer to make them tender. In that case cover and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes and check that they are fork tender).
- Turn the dates into a smooth puree using a stab mixer or a blender. (You can add up to half cup water here to ease the blending process. In that case skip adding more water in the next step).
- Add tamarind paste, ginger powder, cumin powder and black salt and mix well using a whisk. Add water gradually and stop when you have achieved your preferred consistency of chutney. (see notes below*¼)
- Cook the chutney on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Allow to cool down, then transfer to a clean and dry glass container with a lid. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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