Tamarind Date Chutney

Ingredients

8 Dates (pitted, whole)

3 Tablespoons tamarind paste

3 Teaspoon cumin seeds

1 Teaspoon ground black pepper

½ Teaspoon pink salt

50g Jaggery

70 ml water

Preparation

First make tamarind paste if you’re using the fresh or block variety (you can often find this at Indian and Thai stores)

Peel tamarind from shell and soak in warm water for 10 - 15 minutes, the water should roughly cover the tamarind

Then grab the pods with your hands and squeeze the pods removing the seeds until you are left with a paste (keep the soaking water as you can use this in the chutney)

Them make the Chutney

Soak the date in warm water for about 10 minutes in the meantime…

Heat up a small pan and put in cumin seeds to roast without oil, keep turning for 1 minute till you can smell the cumin, set aside

Grab the dates and throw them in the blend or food processor until they are paste consistency

In a saucepan start by putting in date paste, tamarind paste and water (you can use the water used to soak the dates or tamarind if you like) let it start to heat up

Once it is warm add the rest of the ingredients and wait till the jaggery is completely melted

Let it cool and it’s ready to use

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About

Chutneys, these spicy and tangy condiments are a must at any Indian meal, while growing up we always had stock in the fridge to accompany as a side on the table. My old time favorites are the ‘green chutney’ also known as coriander or mint chutney and sweet chutney which is the tamarind chutney.

Here you have a slightly fresh version of the tamarind chutney, which I love, love, love to use as a marinate and always have a batch in my freezer.

Perfect for…

*A marinate for a meat or hard tofu

*A dipping sauce for sweet potato fries, samosas or other sides you love

*A garbanzo salad or any salad you want to add a bit of zing to

Ingredients Swaps

*Jaggery; in an Indian kitchen you’ll always find jaggery lying around and is used quite a lot because it is believed to have a digestive effect on the body. Coconut sugar and brown sugar can work just as well, make sure they are well melted.

*Dates; you could omit the dates for a less sweet flavor

Ingredient Alert

Tamarind; this slow-growing, long-lived large tree of the tropics is one of the most distributed around the world. It contains high levels of tartaric acid, similar to that of a citrus fruit thus providing powerful antioxidant action zapping harmful free radicals floating through your system.

According to Ayurvedic traditions tamarind supplies the acid-sweet taste in a dish. Among many other uses it is used for gastric and digestion problems.

Live Well. Eat Well. Be Well