Every amazing Indian or East African snack or barbecue needs a favourite condiment and it is always the popular sweet, spicy and tangy tamarind chutney. I love dipping all my bhajias(lentil fritters), cassava fries, and samosas in this flavourful chutney. This chutney is also the main ingredient for chaats and my favourite “channa bateta” (chickpeas and potatoes in a tangy tamarind sauce-recipe on blog). A tamarind tree produces a pod like fruit that contains a brown edible pulp used in many cuisines around the world. This pulp is squished into a block and exported all over the world. The main exporters of tamarind are the Philippines, Thailand, India and Africa. You can either go and buy a ready made tamarind chutney which usually includes names of ingredients you can’t pronounce or make your own clean chutney from scratch. Like all other things, I would rather make this tangy chutney at home in bulk and fill up bottles and freeze them. When you buy a tamarind block in a grocery store (normally in the Asian/Indian aisle) the label will always says “seedless”, but I always find seeds in every pack. Through experience, I have learned to find seeds through sieving and squishing every bit of the pulp. The process is a little over an hour long, but very worth it in the end.

The tamarind pulp is usually packed into a block. Break up the block into chunks before soaking for faster results.

Soak the tamarind and add the pitted dates and soak for 20 minutes.

In a pot add another 3 cups of water and add the soaked dates and tamarind with the water and bring to a boil. Boil the tamarind and dates for about 15 minutes and let the mixture cool. Sieve the mixture through and use your hands to go through the pulp, looking for seeds and removing them.

After removing seeds, add tamarind pulp, soaked dates and tamarind water and blend the mixture into a thick tamarind water. This water is used in the chana bateta. I usually fill up jars with this and when ready to use add spices to make a chutney.

The spices and crushed tomatoes are added to make the tamarind chutney.

TAMARIND CHUTNEY

• Serves: 20

• Prep Time: 5 minutes

• Cooking Time: 90 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 400 grams tamarind paste (block)

• 3-6 cups water

• 227 grams pitted dates

• 2 tbsp crushed tomatoes

• 1 tsp Himalayan salt

• 1 tsp cumin ground

• 1/2 tsp cayenne

INSTRUCTIONS

Break up the tamarind into small pieces with your hands and soak the tamarind in a bowl hot water (3 cups) for 10 minutes. Add the pitted dates and soak both for 10 minutes.

In a pot add another 3 cups of water and add the soaked dates and tamarind with the water and bring to a boil. Boil the tamarind and dates for about 15 minutes and let  the mixture cool.  Sieve the mixture through and use your hands to go through the pulp, looking for seeds and removing them.

After removing seeds, add tamarind pulp, soaked dates and tamarind water and blend the mixture into a thick tamarind water. This water is used in the chana bateta. I usually fill up jars with this and when ready to use add spices to make a chutney.

Add spices and crushed tomatoes and mix for a spicy and tangy chutney. You can add more or less cayenne according to your spice taste.