Recipe Credit: Darshana Muzumdar
Makes one and a half cups
Ingredients
- 30-40 gms deseeded and cleaned tamarind (around 1/2 cup lightly packed)
- 150 gms deseeded soft dates (around 1 cup)
- 300 gms jaggery
- 1/2 teaspoon black salt
- 1/2 tsp saunth (ginger powder)
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (add more if desired)
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper (optional)
- Salt to taste
Method
Clean and wash the tamarind lightly. Add a cup full of hot water and soak for at least 10 minutes.
Was the dates if necessary and soak in a cup of warm water for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
Blend these two together adding a little more water if necessary to get a thick paste.
Strain the paste to remove all the excess fibre. Discard the fibre and put the paste in a thick bottom steel pot.
Add the jaggery and cook over high heat till all the jaggery has dissolved in the chutney.
Add 2 cups of water and cook till it comes to a boil. Turn down the heat and cook for at least 10 to 20 minutes. It should cook and not just simmer. Add a little water if you think it is too thick.
Add all the masalas and salt and cook for another couple of minutes.
Check for salt and adjust according to taste.
Turn off the heat and allow it to cool. It will thicken once cooled down. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Ensure that you use a dry spoon to remove the chutney or else it may spoil.
For the Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) version:
Do not use jaggery. Use more dates instead.
Do not cook the chutney.