A classic Indian chutney that is dark, glossy, sweet-and-sour, and spiced, made with tamarind, jaggery, roasted cumin, ginger, and black salt. It traditionally accompanies samosas, pakoras, chaats, and dahi vada.
Ingredients
- 120 g seedless tamarind pulp
- 450 ml hot water
- 180 g grated Indian jaggery or brown sugar
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp dried ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp mild ground Indian red chili
- 3/4 tsp Indian black salt kala namak
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
Method
- Place the tamarind pulp in a heatproof bowl, pour the hot water over it, and press with a spoon to submerge it thoroughly. Let soften until the pulp separates easily and the water turns dark brown.
- Work the pulp between your fingers or with the back of a spoon to extract as much flesh as possible. Pass it through a fine sieve, pressing firmly. Scrape the underside of the sieve to recover the thick pulp; discard the fibers and any hard pieces.
- Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir them often until they darken slightly, smell nutty and toasted, and crackle quietly. Transfer them immediately to a mortar or board so they do not burn.
- Crush the roasted cumin into a coarse powder. It should remain fragrant and slightly grainy, not reduced to a completely fine dust.
- Pour the tamarind extract into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the jaggery, then heat over medium heat, stirring until completely dissolved. The sauce should become smooth, dark, and glossy.
- Add the roasted cumin, dried ginger, red chili, black salt, and fine salt. Mix thoroughly, then cook at a gentle simmer. Stir regularly, scraping the bottom because the sugar catches easily.
- Continue cooking until the texture coats the spoon: a spoon dipped into the chutney should emerge covered in a glossy film, and a line drawn with a finger across the back of the spoon should remain visible for a few seconds.
- Taste when the chutney is still hot but not scorching. It should be distinctly tangy, clearly sweet, salty, and slightly spicy. Add a little fine salt if the flavor seems flat, or continue cooking gently if the texture is too thin.
- Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. The chutney thickens as it cools; it should finish supple, syrupy, and pourable, not set.
- Transfer to a clean jar. Serve at room temperature or chilled, in small amounts, with samosas, pakoras, kachori, papdi chaat, dahi vada, or aloo tikki.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 254.8 kcal
- Protein
- 1.28 g
- Carbohydrate
- 62.4 g
- Fat
- 0.39 g
- Fibre
- 2.19 g
- Calcium
- 24.79 mg
- Iron
- 1.91 mg
- Magnesium
- 11.98 mg
