Tamarind Chutney ( or Imli Chutney) is one of the most popular chutneys in India. When you have chaat (Indian Street Food) or any Indian Snacks, Tamarind Chutney & Green Chutney are always included. I use these with a sandwich, chaat, fried potatoes, or fritters. My Mom always made this Chutney whenever we had some special meal planned. She used to serve it with Dahi Bhalla Chaat, Aloo Tikki Chaat, fritters (Stuffed Bread Pakoras), savor pancakes, or rolls. And I’m continuing the tradition by following in her footsteps. The post contains Helpful Tips & Tricks to make Imli Ki Meethi Chutney. But if you’re in a hurry, you can also click “Jump to Recipe’ under the Heading to go directly to the Recipe Card, or you can also click Recipe Card from the Table of Contents below.
ABOUT IMLI KI MEETHI CHUTNEY (OR TAMARIND CHUTNEY)
Tamarind chutney is an Indian condiment that is served with Indian snacks. It is sweet and tangy in flavor, and it is made with tamarind pulp. It is made by simmering tamarind pulp with jaggery (or gur), sugar, and spices. Tamarind is sour in flavor, so jaggery or sugar is added to balance the flavors in the Chutney. You can also use tamarind pulp to make quick Chutney at home. I sometimes also add dates paste to the Chutney. It gives a distinct flavor to the Chutney. I always keep this Chutney in my refrigerator if we need to eat some snacks. If it’s about to finish, I quickly make another batch. As it is sweet & tangy, you can serve it with almost anything. It goes so great in Aloo Tikki Chaat and Stuffed Bread Pakora.
INGREDIENTS
Tamarind: Tamarind gives a pleasant tangy taste to the recipe. The spicy flavor of Tamarind makes this Chutney unique. You can get dry Tamarind from any Indian Store and squeeze the pulp out or use tamarind pulp instead.Jaggery: You can add jaggery/ sugar to the recipe. Because Tamarind is so sour, jaggery is added to even the flavor. I use 1 cup of jaggery and 1 cup of sugar. Or, if you don’t have jaggery, you can use brown sugar in the recipe.Dates Paste: This gives the Chutney more sweetness and a distinctive flavor. You can make fresh dates puree or add a paste to it.Spice Mix: I add a lot of ingredients in a spice mix that gives a nice taste to the overall flavor of the Chutney. It includes carom seeds, roasted cumin seeds powder, red chili flakes, ginger powder, black salt & salt.Melon Seeds: I add store-bought melon seeds to the Chutney. This gives a restaurant-type flavor. Add-Ons: You can also add chopped dates, raisins, bananas, apricots, etc., to bring more flavor to the Chutney.
See the recipe card for quantities.
HOW TO MAKE IMLI KI MEETHI CHUTNEY (TAMARIND CHUTNEY)
**For the full recipe, check the recipe card below, but you refer here for step-by-step photo instructions. Remove the seeds from the Tamarind and soak Tamarind in boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Or you can pressure cook tamarind in an Instant Pot for 5 minutes and then Quick Release. Then using a potato masher, mash tamarind to remove the pulp. Strain the liquid using a strainer and repeat the process 2-3 times to remove most of the pulp from the Tamarind. Discard the Tamarind. Add tamarind water to the saucepan. Add jaggery (or gud) and sugar. Cook the ingredients for 10-15 minutes until they get thick. Then add the spice mix and keep simmering for another 15-20 minutes until it gets thicker into a consistency like a chutney or syrup. Then turn off the flame and let it come to room temperature. Transfer it to clean mason jars and keep them in the refrigerator. Use it as needed.
HOW TO MAKE TAMARIND CHUTNEY FROM PASTE OR CONCENTRATE?
Tamarind paste is just the tamarind concentrate you get by boiling the Tamarind in water. You can make this Imli Ki Meethi Chutney by adding tamarind paste, water, jaggery/sugar, and spices. Simmer for a few minutes until you get desired consistency.
HOW TO MAKE TAMARIND CHUTNEY WITH DATES?
You can either boil the date in the boiling water and then ground them with 1-2 tablespoon of water and use it in the recipe. Or you can use date paste with jaggery/sugar. It is readily available in any Indian store. Both methods work great. But I feel like getting a date paste is more convenient. You can get a bottle of date paste and store it in the pantry. And use it for making date Tamarind Chutney.
PRO TIPS
Tamarind is dry, so to take the pulp out, you need to soak Tamarind in hot water. You can either boil the water and add Tamarind to it for 1-2 hours, or you can microwave it. This will make Tamarind soft and will help in taking the pulp out quickly.I usually add 1 cup of sugar & 1 cup of jaggery. But if you don’t have jaggery, you can use brown sugar instead.I usually ground all the spices in the spice grinder and add that mix at the end. This gives a nice flavor to the Chutney.When the Chutney cools down, it will become thicker. So keep that in mind regarding the chutney consistency. If you feel like the Chutney is too dry, add a few tablespoons of boiling water until you get desired consistency.
STORAGE
You can store tamarind chutney in a dry and clean jar for up to 3 months. After that, the Chutney stays good in the refrigerator. You can freeze the Chutney for more extended storage for 5-6 months. You can pour the Chutney into an ice tray and then freeze them. Once frozen, remove the cubes from the ice tray and store them in freezer-safe bags like Ziplocs. When reusing, just thaw the cubes and use them as needed.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
You can serve this delicious imli chutney with Indian snacks or appetizers along with green Chutney, including samosa, dahi bhalla, dhokla, etc.
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📖 RECIPE CARD
