Dates and Tamarind Chutney / Khajur Imli Chutney

Dates and Tamarind Chutney is a popular Indian condiment that is used to spruce up almost all the Chaat recipes. It is also served with snacks like Samosas.

This chutney can be prepared with or without jaggery depending upon the sweetness of the Dates. The Dates which I used were very sweet, so I omitted the Jaggery and the Dates only took care of the sweetness required in the chutney. The Tamarind or Imli takes care of the tanginess in the chutney. A combination  of Dates and Tamarind makes the chutney sweet and tangy, which is so delicious and flavourful. Follow the following steps well to get a perfect Chutney for your Chaat recipes. A well prepared chutney elevates the taste and flavour of your Chaat recipes due to its prefect balance of sweet, tang and spice.

INGREDIENTS :

(1) 30 pieces of Dates (Khajur)

(2) 100 gms of Tamarind (Imli)

(3) 1 inch size of Ginger (Adrak)

(4) 1 green Chilli

(5) 1 teaspoon of Cumin seeds (Jeera)

(6) 1 teaspoon of Coriander / Dhaniya powder 

(7)  Black salt (Kala Namak) or regular salt as per taste required

All ingredients set aside for the preparation of Dates Tamarind Chutney 

All ingredients set aside for the preparation of Dates Tamarind Chutney

METHOD :

(1) Take about 30 pieces of Dates / Khajur and deseed them if they have seeds.

30 pieces of Dates / Khajur deseeded

(2) Soak them in a bowl full of lukewarm water for 30 minutes of till they become soft.

Dates soaked in lukewarm water

(3) Also take 100 gms of Tamarind / Imli and ensure that they have no seeds in them as well. I used seedless Tamarind. 

(4) Wash the Tamarind and soak it in a bowl half filled with water as shown for 30 minutes.

Tamarind / Imli soaked in lukewarm water

(5) In a blending jar, add the soaked Dates and Tamarind. Drain the water used for soaking or use them while grinding. 

Put soaked Dates in the blending jar

Add soaked Tamarind to the blending jar

(6) Also, add 1 inch sized piece of Ginger / Adrak and a green Chilli / Hari Mirch.

Add 1 inch sized ginger and 1 green chilli

(7) Add 1 teaspoon of Cumin seeds / Jeera.

Add 1 teaspoon of Cumin seeds / Jeera

(8) Now, blend the mixture until a smooth paste is formed.

Add 1 teaspoon of Coriander / Dhaniya powder along with Black salt / Kala Namak or the regular salt as per taste required. 

Add 1 teaspoon of Coriander powder and Kala Namak or regular salt as per taste required

(9) Grind once again to mix.

Grind the mixture to obtain this smooth paste

(10) Place a sieve or colander over a large bowl. 

Then transfer the pureed dates tamarind chutney to it and pass through. 

Strain as much chutney as possible by pressing with a spoon. 

Discard the remaining part.  Don’t forget to scrape the bottom of the sieve to collect the strained chutney stuck on it.

Discard 

(11) Mix once and your smooth thick Dates Tamarind Chutney or Khajur Imli Chutney is ready.

(12) You can also store this chutney in an airtight container. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 10 days and in the freezer till 3 months.

How to use the chutney :

This chutney tends to thicken due to addition of dates. So, you will need to adjust the consistency before using it in chaats. Scoop out the required amount of chutney from the airtight container using a moist free spoon and put it in a bowl. Add required amount of hot water and mix well. The chutney is now of the desired consistency.

Note : For greater shelf life of the chutney, use very less or almost no water while grinding the chutney, use moist free colander / sieve to filter the chutney. Store it in a moist free glass container. Use moist free spoons to take out chutney from the container and never add water to the chutney stored in the container.