Products
Tamarind Chutney
June 29th, 2007 filed under Chutneys / Pickles, Vegan
This exotic sweet and sour chutney is a delicious condiment. This chutney can be called the ketchup of the east!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb tamarind, seeded
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons roasted ground cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black salt
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Method:
- Break the tamarind into small pieces and soak in hot boiling water for one hour.
- Mash it into a pulp and strain pressing the tamarind into the strainer so that all the pulp comes out.
- Add sugar to the pulp mix well.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Mix again well and taste. Add more sugar, salt or pepper as needed.
- Chutney can be refrigerated for two to three months.
Serving suggestion:
- Tamarind chutney is delicious with samosas, pakoras, drizzled over dahi vadas, bhel poori, or any kind of chat.
- This is also delicious as a dipping sauce for French fries, as a spread over crackers.
Variations
- To use as a dip, thicker chutney is ideal. To use as a topping, add water to make the chutney thinner.
- Add water and ice cubes to serve as a cool spicy drink.
- Add equal parts yogurt and chutney to make a dipping sauce.
- Try drizzling over rice to add a unique flavor to plain rice.
Hi Manula Aunty,
Thanks for all your delicious recipies.
For tamarind chutney recipe, can we use tamarind paste?
I usually use tamarind paste for making sambar.
Your recipes keep or tastebuds working!
Raman
Raman,
You can use the paste but doesn’t taste the same.
Mine came out a bit thin, so I boiled it for 10 minutes and now it is lovely! It tastes like a cross between HP sauce and Branston Pickle.
Hi! iam from Brasil and i tryied to do this chutney, actually turned out pretty good, almost the same flavor as the Indian restaurant from my city!
Thanks for the recepies,wich are great, and the videos makes them much more easier to understand!
auntie,
tnx very much for all the recipes.
Tamarind doesn’t get spoiled. can be kept for years and used. Fresh tamarind with a little moisture will be reddish brown in color, sweet and sour in taste and can be used fresh. Old one becomes dark and too sour in taste. It is better not to be used uncooked.
Aunty, I can’t find ginger powder in the Indian stores here. Can I substitute it with something else?
A good multi-purpose chutney. I love to eat it with all kinds of snacks.
Hello Manjula,
I have questions, please. I just made this chutney and I believe the tamarind had seeds. The brick was very tough and it was dark brown, not at all like the red color of yours. Yours also appeared much softer.
After soaking in hot water for over an hour and mashing it well, it was very difficult to push through the strainer. The end result tastes good however there is something crunchy in it, like bits of sand. I don’t believe it’s the sugar.
So my questions are: Is it possible for the packaged tamarind to be spoiled (hence the brown color)? Also, what could the grains be?
We’re have guests for dinner tomorrow evening and am hesitant to serve the tamarind chutney due to the above concerns. Your help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes! I have made several of them in the last week – all were delicious.
Tina
Hey Tina,
I think I used a similar brand to you, though I have found the one Manjula used before and it’s definitely superior! Not sure, but I think the problem was the seeds which have a strong flavor that I don’t like (like eating grage seeds..bleh)…though that doesn’t effect the color.
Hi Tina,
I believe the tamrind you got cant be used, I know the type you are talking about. The block should be stored in the fridge as leaving it out takes away the miosture leaving you with a ‘stone’.