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Make this super simple, sweet tamarind date chutney to accompany your favourite Indian street food dishes and snacks. It’s completely different to most of the other chutneys, as the main profile of this chutney is sweet and sour. Naturally vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and SO good. This is a must-have with my vegetable samosas!
What is Sweet Tamarind Date Chutney?
It’s a popular chutney, that’s also known as…
- khatti meethi imli ki chutney
- khatta meetha chutney
- imli chutney recipe
- imli ki chatni
- saunth chutney
Naturally vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free. It’s made with dates, tamarind pulp, water, jaggery, chilli powder and salt. You’ll find it being used for all kinds of Indian street food dishes. I’m talking, aloo chaat, chana chaat, bhel puri, dahi puri, samosa chaat, pani puri, papdi chaat and so many more Indian snacks.
Ingredients for Sweet Tamarind Date Chutney
- Dates: grab your Medjool dates, and remove the seeds or simply use seedless dates.
- Tamarind Pulp: you’ll be able to find this at your local Indian grocery store.
- Jaggery: it’s an unrefined sugar, that is healthier than traditional sugar as Jaggery is packed with vitamins and minerals.
- Water: this recipe calls for a couple of cups of water, but you can add as much as you like. It all depends on how much water evaporates while everything is cooking over the stove.
- Spice powders: the red chilli powder will add a slight bit of heat to this chutney.
- Salt: add according to your taste, but I use around 1 tsp in total.
How to make the best Sweet Tamarind Chutney
There are two ways of softening and cooking the chutney. The first way is to add the seedless dates, jaggery and tamarind pulp in a bowl, and add in a cup of water or just enough until everything is covered. Cover the bowl with a lid and allow to soak and soften overnight. Transfer into a saucepan and cook for 15 minutes.
The second way is to add the seedless dates, jaggery, tamarind pulp and 2 cups of water into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, and once the water starts to boil, reduce to low heat and cook for 30-40 minutes or until everything is soft. The quantity of water you use depends on how much of the water gets cooked off and how thin you want the chutney to be. I personally like it to have a thick consistency, that way, I can thin it out with a little water depending on what I’m using this chutney for.
Next, strain the chutney using a sieve and with a spoon, press and gently scrape to push out as much of the liquid as you can. Add all the pulp back into the saucepan, add in a splash of water and strain once more. This way you’ll get as much of the smooth paste out of the date pulp and dates. Discharge the pulp.
Add in a little red chili powder and salt. Mix to combine and add more if needed. If you want the chutney to be sweater, mix in a little sugar. Add a pinch of cumin powder is also optional.
Enjoy in your favourite Indian chaat recipes or as a samosa sauce.
How to store Tamarind Date Chutney
Keep in an airtight container and store in the fridge for a couple of weeks or freeze for a couple of months. Bring back to room temperature before using or pop in the microwave on the defrost setting for a few minutes. Mixing halfway
Tried this easy recipe?
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More Indian chutney recipes
- Coriander Mint Chutney (aka Cilantro Mint Chutney)
- Tangy Green Chutney (aka Cilantro Chutney)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup tamarind pulp
- 1/2 cup pitted medjool dates
- 2 cups water (plus more, if needed)
- 1/3 cup jaggery
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
Instructions
- Into a saucepan, add pitted dates, tamarind pulp, jaggery and water. Heat over medium heat, and once it starts to simmer bring it down to low. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the dates are soft, and the jaggery is melted. You can speed this process by crushing the tamarind and dates with a fork while it cooks. Adding more water if needed.
- Once soft allow the mixture to cool slightly, then pass through a sieve so you get a nice smooth chutney. Add the pulp back into the pan with 1/4 cup of water and massage to help get extra flavours from the tamarind and dates. Then sieve it one more time. Mix in chilli powder and salt.
- Optional: Add in some more water to thin out the chutney to your desired consistency. (I used around 1/2 Cup)
Nutrition
- Calories: 45
