Tamarind Chutney is one of the all time favorites amongst Chutneys. You can serve it with appetizers, make chaat with it or serve with Dahi Bhallas. We always make a large quantity and freeze it so it is readily available at all times.
Ingredients:
Tamarind Concentrate – 2 tbsp
Water – 2 cups
Jaggery – 1/2 cup, powdered and packed
Salt – 1 tsp or to taste
Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp or to taste
Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds ( Sauf) – 1 tsp, optional
Method:
1. Heat 1 cup of water in the microwave, add in the Tamarind paste and mix well so that there are no lumps.
2. In a saucepan on medium to high heat, pour in the diluted Tamarind mixture and the balance of the water. Allow it to come to a boil.
3. Add in the powdered Jaggery and reduce flame to Medium.
4. Let the Jaggery melt and the mixture reduce to half. Keep stirring occasionally.
5. While the above mixture is boiling, dry roast the Cumin and Fennel seeds and allow them to cool before you grind them to a powder.
6. Mix in Salt, Fennel and Cumin Powders and Red Chili Powder. Stir and then remove from Flame.
7. To get the correct consistency of the hot chutney, lift the stirring spoon out of the pan and make sure it lightly coats the spoon. Once the
chutney cools, it will automatically thicken.
8. Allow it to cool and store in a clean dry container.
9. Makes about ½ cup of Chutney.
Tips:
1. Tamarind Chutney has a long shelf life and should be kept refrigerated. It also freezes very well.
2. You can also substitute Jaggery with about ½ cup of Brown Sugar or Regular Sugar.
3. If you do not have Fennel Seeds, use only Roasted Cumin Powder.
4. You can use 3 lime size balls of regular tamarind if you do not have the concentrate. Soak it in the 1 cup hot water and remove all the fiber and
seeds from it.
Watch and learn:
This recipe really rocks!
Thanks ladies and remember: Amul cheese is not a crime.
Any tips on adapting this recipe to use your homemade tamarind paste? I stop where y’all do in the video. I don’t cook it down to concentrated consistency. It’s much easier to work with in paste form.
Also, measuring by volume the amount of jaggery will vary depending on how fine it’s powdered and how firmly it’s packed. Could y’all give the amount of jaggery to use by weight? The only jaggery I can find locally comes in either large blocks or small lumps. I’m not too great at grating it, so I wouldn’t trust my skills at powdering it.
Hi if i am using a 100g tamarind then how much water should i use please
Hi if i am using a 100g tamrine then how much water should i use please
Is there any other chutney eaten with pani puri?
Hi Sakina,
No, as most of the other ingredients used in green chutney are already in the pani.
Hiii hw do i download your i phone app can u plz tell me the leyword or give the link ??? Your recipes are awesome luv them n ur demonstration too 🙂 thanku
I meant keyword for search :p
Hi Anu,
Our iphone app is not out yet but we are working on it.
Dear Hetal / Anuja ,
I love your recipes. I have a Quick recipe for the Imli Chutney. Hope you can include with your lovely voice and youtube presentation.
Apple Butter – 1 bottle
Cumin Powder – as needed
Red Chilli – as needed
and Salt. Mix it and Dilute as needed.
Hi Muna,
Thanks for sharing your recipe. My mom used to do this like 30 years back when Indian grocery stores were not so common here in the US. Thanks for bringing back the memories :).
So , will you be including this Recipe in your Video format ?!
can i use tamarind chutney as a substitute for tamarind paste…this chutney is really owsum…thanks mam
Hi Vishal,
It depends on what recipe you are making. The chutney has added sweetness whereas the paste is only sour.
hello,
i prepared a lot of htis chutney and now i dnt understand how should i use it up
Plz suggest something healthy
Hi Anuja,
You can freeze it for later use or make Healthy Bean Chaat: https://34.233.61.50/salad-raita/beans-chaat-cold-beans-salad.html
This chutney is awesome! Thank you girls!
Dear Hetal / Anuja:
I love cooking! I just stumbled on to your SMTC looking for a recipe to make Pani Puri for my new DIL. Then I spent more than half a day looking into the several recipes presented by you both. All your programs are awesomely beautiful to the least! The mode of presentation, language, diction, mannerism . . . great. I did also love to watch the inevitable bloopers! In making the uppuma, I have found from experience that if you roast the suji a tinge brown in the micro oven and pour it hot into the boiling water it never gets the lumps. Also it comes out fluffy. Adding a few tsp of raw oil after the cooking also enhances the taste.
Hello there,
Thank you so much for the compliments and welcome to SMTC 🙂
Also, thank you for the tips, we will try them next time.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Thanks for posting all the wonderful recipes here. I have tried a lot many dishes from here and they have just turned out awesome.
I tried this tamarind chutney recipe yesterday and again it tasted wonderful. The only thing was it came out really thin in the consistency as compared to what the actual one is (or even what the picture shows here). What can i do to make it to the right consistency? I already tried boiling it for couple more minutes. Please help.
And again thanks a lot for the wonderful demonstrations for your recipes.
Thanks
Poonam
Hi Poonam,
The more you cook it, the thicker it becomes (it usually takes longer than just a few extra minutes). Maybe next time, you can reduce the amount of water you put in initially.
hi hetal and anuja…im a regular follower of your blog…thanks for such inspirational recipes…my only complain is tht i have written to you so many times but never really got any answer from you…nt sure why:( hope u reply to this one…can u please suggest how to make this chutney with dates?thanks in advance:)
Hi Richa,
Wow…we try to answer almost every one of our viewers questions (sometimes, the questions fall through the cracks because we get so many per day) so we can only say “sorry”.
If you want to use dates, put them in a pot and add just enough water to cover them. Let them soak for a few hours. Take the same pot with the dates/water and cook until the dates are completely softened. You may need to add a little more water along the way. Then, use an immersion blender to grind the dates into a smooth paste. If you use a blender, you’ll have to wait until they cool down a bit. Now, return the paste to the stove and keep adding tamarind until you get the balanced sweet/sour taste you want. Also add in the spices/salt at this time. Cook until the raw smell of tamarind has gone.
Hi Hetal,
Please don’t apologize…i understand u must have missed my questions.no worries! Thanks a lot for replying.will try this for sure and your other recipes too…there’s so many recipes i want to try:):) keep up the great work:)
I have seen some people even using a pinch of fenugreek seeds (only few seeds, as they are pretty biter).
Some people use dried dates soaked overnight in water and cut into long slices.
Soaked Raisins are also used.
Some people (usually street food vendors in India ) use dried ginger powder too ( called Sonth in hindi ).
Hi Dr. Kumar,
Yes, we sometimes use dates for our sweet chutney as well. It is a great sweetener option. We have not tried using raisins but it does sound interesting. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
This is a great recipe, I have made this many times. I also add apple butter and less jaggery. It turns out great. It give just the right sweetness. thank you again for all you great recipes.
what is jaggry made of
Hi Adan,
Usually it is made out of the juice of Sugar Cane.
Hi,
Can I use raw tamarind instead of tamarind paste ? If so, how much water do I need to add for a golf size ball of tamarind ?
when using Apple Butter, do we still cook it, to get to the right consistency
hi hetal & anuja,
wonderfull chatney reciepe..but one more question that can we freeze this or not ?
thankyou
Tamarind does not freeze but like me mentioned, it has a long shelf-life, but you can store it in the freezer.
can i use tamarind chutney as a substitute for tamarind paste
Hi Blaze,
It depends on how you will be using the tamarind paste. Tamarind chutney is sweet and tangy. Tamarind paste is only tangy. If you recipe calls for some added sugar, you could possibly substitute the chutney.
How long can I keep opened Tamarind in the refrigerator and how do I know when its spoiled?
Tamarind is amazing, it has a very long shelf life. It can last in the fridge for 1 -2 months (make sure you use a clean spoon everytime).
The only way to tell if it has gone bad is if it has fungus growing on it.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Do you know the shortcut recipe to make this chutney using apple sauce? I had tasted it a while ago,but I’m not sure of the proportions
Please let me know if you get hold of that recipe.
Thanks,
Shakuntala
Hi Sharkuntala,
Years ago, my mom used to make sweet chutney with Apple Butter, not apple sauce. The color of apple butter is dark brown and resembles tamarind. If I remember correctly, she only added roasted cumin powder, red chili powder and salt. The apple butter provided the sweetness as well as the tartness.
Thank you sooo much Hetal.
Shakuntala
I love all ur recipes, and of course this one too. but i have a question.
in the ingridients u say, 2 cups water. and u dissolve the paste in 1 cup water.
It is easier to dissolve the tamarind paste in less water and then add in the balance of the water later.
Your recipes are my favourite. Trully, they are amazing. Thank you!!!
Its a good recipe worth trying. Now a days Mannar DRI Tamarind Powder is available, it goes well.
Hi Madhuri,
You can stop the cooking process at any point you see fit, depending on the consistency you need. Just remember, the cooled product will be much thicker than what it seems like on the stove. If you already have the chutney made and it’s too thick, then you can dilute it a bit with some warm water. The intensity and flavor may go down a bit.
Hello Hetalji, Anujaji,
I have another question
For Panipuri, Bhelpuri this consistency is a little thick
Do you suggest i diliute this when using for the above
Please suggest
Thanks in advance
Thank you
Hi Madhuri,
Cooking the tamarind reduces the raw smell and flavor that some people find offensive. Tamarind can be eaten raw so it is not absolutely necessary to cook it.
Hello Anujaji, Hetalji
I have a question. Why do we need to cook the tamarind. some other websites just soak tamarind and strain. What is the difference betwenn cooked tamarind and using it raw
Please suggest and thanks in advance
Sorry about the typo — it is 1/2 cup of jaggery. The sweetness is really to taste so if 1/2 cup is not enough for you, you can add as much as you need.
This chutney is really wonderful..But pls.give the correct ingredients.. pls. may I know whether it is 3/4 cup or 1/2 cup jaggery…Anyway your recipes are really cool..
It is wonderfully good…Thank you so much…
really i like yr all recipes.
and sure i m gonna try this one.
Tried this recipe..it turned out great.
and being slightly on the tangy side..u dont have to pour lots over the dish..so its good for many Chaat sessions..
Awesome imli chutney! I made this for a party recently and everyone loved it!
hi,
we are the manfacturer and sellers of instant tamarind past . available in 500gr,1kg.
An absolutely wonderful demonstration! This particular chutney is an excellent accompaniment to savoury moong bean pancakes.
remember the 1tsp garam masala…
love your site, you have truley spiced up my life!
x0x
Hi Jaya,
Water amount depends on how much Tamarind are you using. If you use a golf ball amount of tamarind (with seeds), we would use 2 cups (16ozs) of water. The tamarind tastes vary by brands, so keep a close eye and you may need to adjust the jaggery, salt and the spices as well.
Hi,
If I am using the regular tamarind what is the amt of water to be used apart from the 1 cup used in soaking the tamarind? Also what is thh shelf life of the chutney.
Thanks.
right mam