Tamarind Chutney, Tamarind Sauce
This exotic sweet and sour chutney is a zesty condiment. This chutney can be called the ketchup of the east.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lm tamarind seeded imle
- 2-1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1-1/2 tbsp roasted ground cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black salt
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
Instructions
- Break the tamarind into small pieces and soak in boiling water for one hour.
- Mash it into a pulp and strain, pressing the tamarind into the strainer to remove all the pulp. Add sugar to the pulp. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix and taste. Add more sugar, salt or pepper as needed.
Notes
Notes Chutney can be refrigerated for two to three months. Serving Suggestions Tamarind chutney is delicious with samosas, pakoras, drizzled over dahi vadas, or any kind of chat. It is also delicious as a dipping sauce for French fries and as a spread over crackers. Try drizzling over rice to add a unique flavor to plain rice. 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.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Originally posted 2007-06-29 14:48:10.
That video was worth it just to see the little girl at the end. What a treasure! I hope my tamarind chutney comes out half as sweet as she is.
Namaste, Dear mother Manjula, your recipes are so simple, I love them, I am a fan of Indian ciusine. love Indian food.I have already tried your recipe on tomatoes and mangoes chutney, it’s Great. God bless you mom.
Luís Albornoz
Venezuela
Everyone loves your recipes and food Manjula …. thankyou so much for sharing and teaching us. This is lovely.
Dear Manjula: You are great. Keep up your good work. Add more spice to your life. Regards
Bharat, Thanks
I like your tamarind chutney recipe! Thank you, Manjula, from Italy.
I only have tamarind concentrate. How much of that would I use instead of the paste or pulp?
I live in a rural area and there are no Asian or Indian stores nearby. Is there a brand you can recommend on Amazon? Is it the wet or dry tamarind? Any advice would be most appreciated. This is a great video and I’m really looking forward to making it! Cheers, Stacy
Stacy, on my web site is listing of some of the product any ingredients please check this link https://manjulaskitchen.com/products/
Thank you so much! Looking forward to trying it tomorrow.
How much tamarind pulp is produced from the 1/2 lb tamarind? I have packaged tamarind pulp and want to know how much to use for this recipe.
looks great have to try it
I made your Tamarind chutney and because of being called away from home, it took 3 days! I doubled the recipe and I will put some in the freezer. I made the strained pulp and then I had to store it in the fridge for 2 days. I was concerned, but went ahead and made it and it was fantastic! I made it yesterday morning and I let it sit all day for the sugar to completely melt and all the spices to blend. Thank you for this delicious “Indian ketchup.” I made samosas last night and drizzled the chutney on them, and my grandchildren ate them right up.
THIS JUST CHANGED MY LIFE!!! THANK YOUUUUU!!!!!
<3Abby
Thank you dear Manjula for sharing your recipes. I tried some of your recipes not the sweets I found it really good. I enjoy cooking.
Can you use store bought Tamarind Paste and how much for this recipe. Please.
Edna, you can use the paste but not concentrated tamarind, try to keep the same proportion.
Hello, ate you supposed to turn the heat off on the water and let the tamarind soak in the hit water or keep the water boiling?
Hello Manjulaji
I have became fan of u…. As others I also liked ur simple way of teaching …. I just follow ur suggestions from ur website and make any desired dish and it’s always ocem…..thnx.
Sonal Vyas, Thank you
Hi Manjula Aunty,
My tamarind chutney becomes metallic taste after a day. This is the third time and I cannot figure out what makes it taste like that. It is like tiny metal crystals and I have to throw away the chutney.
Please tell me why it becomes metallic taste.
Thanks
Meena
Meena, I have never experienced this I keep this chutney for months. My only suggestion is change the brand of the tamarind, I always buy from Indian or Asian grocery store.
Thank you for your reply Aunty. I actually used Jaggery instead of sugar. Could it be jaggery that crystallises? Please advise. Thanks Meena
I have always done this with jaggery and never had a problem.
I also use a little more than half the quantity of sugar of the recipe though, because I like the sour taste. I always crush the jaggery with my food processor before.
Hello, I stumbled into your sight accidentally.. And loved every thing in it…all of your recipes..thank you so much for sharing, I am middle eastern and grew up eating tanmrind, dying to make your chutny recipe..but like some, I don’t eat sugar..I wonder if you know about stevia?? It’s beautiful plant look like mint and every leave is very high on sweet..its the new healthy sweetner, and I use the pure one..not what’s in supermarkets blend.. Do you think if I use it with the tanmrind chutney, it will be OK??
Thank you so much
Seaqueen, I do know stevia but don’t use often. You should certainly try, and share the results. Good cooking
Love your shows and recipies, the simpliest and easiest to follow. If I want an Indian recipie I check your chanel first. Thanks Manjula! Post more please.
Hi Manjula. Can I use Tamarind Consentrate for this recipe? If so how?
Crystal, personally I don’t like to use Tamarind Concentrate, taste is not the same
Namaste. Manjula, thank you so much for your brilliant teaching method. Your recipes add excitement to my vegan diet.
Hi Manjula,
Thank you for all your excellent video instructions. Indian food is so delicious, but to the western cook, often mysterious. It’s so easy to follow your techniques in the videos. I recently made an Indian feast with 7 different dishes, all from your recipes, and they turned out delicious! I made Dal, Naan, Potato Eggplant and Tomato subji, Cilantro chutney and for desert, Gajar Halwa. Later that week we had Mango Lassi, yum yum! Thank you so much!
i also use to make tamarind chutney just like u,but i boil it.is it right or wrong…??
Shalini deres nothing wrong if u boil but yes its a lengthier procedure .i guess instead f using sugar its better to add jaggery as its more healthy.in ds case we ll hav to boil
Dear Manjula,
Thank u for your wonderful recipes..
Regarding the Tamarhind chutney… Is it ok to make it raw ? without coocking?
Tx, Ronen
Thank you very much….Didi..
Hi, I have made your Tamarind Chutney but it is very runny, more like a sauce. You say to soak Tamarind for half an hour but your written recipe says soak for 1 hour. You also say to use 1 and a half tsp Cumin seeds but your written recipe says to use 1 and half Tablespoons of Cumin seeds.
Please tell me what is wrong, I wanted a thick chutney not a runny sauce.
Thanks
Catherine
Namaste Aunty Ji.
My name is Barinder Bawa and i am living in South America, i am always happy to watch you recepie, i try to make my chutney, after watching your video, and its come out very good and tasty, thank you so much and i am always waiting for your new recepie…..
Thanks Again
Barinder Bawa
Manjula Bhen, what is black salt(is it hinchora ).
Hi,
This is sadiya and i am staying in dubai and i cant eat food here due to tast different thank to you that you show all south indian dishes how to cook. even my husband enjoy the food what i cook showed by you.
Regards,
sadiya
Deeeeeeeeliciouuuuus!!!! I made this last night to dip my spring rolls… its soooo good… The only thing i did different, i used only half cup of sugar boiled with 1/4 cup water (simple syrup) this intensify the sweetness and less sugar is needed….
Hello! What I can use instead of sugar? I do not eat sugar. I can provide regular fresh dates? Or use figs? instead of sugar?
i use jaggery instead of sugar as it is more healthy but you can use dates/honey/molases/jaggery!
Thanks for the reply
As Mansi said the chutney is yum…
hi there Manjula Aunty,
wonderful website with delish recipies!!!
love visiting ur site often to check out variety of yummy dishes.
Please keep up the good job by sharing and thus helping others learn and explore the indian cuisine.
Thanks and hats of to u 😀
Hi aunt!! We are iyengar brahmins from south. I,m newly married and moved to US and i’m learning special items from your videos Your recipes are really wonderful. And i could try most of your recipes as you don’t use onion and garlic.
Thank you so much and hope to see some more recipes of yours.
I bought a bottle of Tamarind paste. How many tablespoons equal a 1/2 pound for this recipe?
i always use tamarind paste as it is much easier this way. to replace 1/2 pound in this recipe, i think 1 cup tamarind paste will be suffice.
what is ginger powder can we make this chutney without this?
wow!!!!i like recipes soooo muuuuccccccchhhhhhh….will try at home when i will go home hehehehe 🙂
Could you please explain what is ‘black salt’ and where it is available? I don’t remember ever seeing this item in regular grocery stores here in US.
Thanks
Rom
Rom,
You can find the black salt in Indian Grocery stores.
Hi Manjula,
Could you please use metric units so it becomes more accessible? Thanks 🙂
How is she going to use metric when she’s in the US and that’s not what we use?
People ask that over and over and it would not be very practical. Why can’t those who use metric just learn how to convert?
http://Www.convertme.com will give you all the popular conversion tables.
That’s what I use when I have a recipe that is using the metric system. It’s not difficult at all. Easier for us than it is for her to convert every single recipe.
Ciao Manjula
Thank you for sharing your cooking gift. I would like to know how to make the tamarind chutney using tamarind paste instead. Thank you
is there no need to cook this tamarind chutney ?
Meenakshi,
Do not need to cook chutney.
you r my kitchen grand mama , god bless u , u r so nice .
How long can we keep tamarind chutney ? can we freeze it too like cilantro chutney? thanks.
Ravi,
You can refrigerate this chutney for 3 to 4 months. This does not freeze well.
Hey!
Nice recipe here. I need your help! I remember a dhaba i used to visit when i was in bangalore run by south indians. They used to provide us with a type of chutney with chilli bhajjis and potato bhajjis. I could taste coconut, tamarind in it and it was spicy but mindblowing! please can u suggest a coconut based variant of this chutney? thank you 🙂
Shehnaz,
Sorry I have never tried that particular chutney and there are so many variations of every dish.
thanx this is gud
Can we use jaggery instead of sugar ?
Sg,
Jaggery will be good.
Namaste! Are there any uses for the left over tamarind pulp?
yes, use it to to clean anything copper-will make even your darkest pots or whatever shine-hindu worship material etc., also use it to clean silver jewelry-soak it in tamaraind pulp water, hope it helps
Hi Mam,
Tamrind chutney was very nice. Iwould like you to show us a few kids lunch recipes.
Thankyou
Thank you Manjula,
This is one of my favorite chutneys. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Manjula aunty, your process made a very tasty chutney! I do mine in a similar way. When soaking the tamarind pulp, add a few tablespoons of grated green mango. This gives it an achar and chutney taste. If you would like it to be thicker, and have it keep a little longer, I heat up 1 tablespoon of oil, and fry my pepper, chili powder some garam masala and geera for about 30 seconds, then add the tamarind mixture, and bring to a boil. Once it boils, add the sugar, and salt, and boil until it reaches the desired thickness. It keeps for about 6 months, which doesnt last that long in our home 🙂 and the longer it sits, the better it tastes. And your grand daughter is adorable
1/2 lb or pounds equals to about 230 grams
Aunty, how many gms is 1/2 lb of tamarind??
Pls reply.
Thank U.
Hello,Mrs.Manjula!
I have a question. Should I use roast whole cumin seeds first, then grind them? Or should I grind whole seeds first, then roast in pan?
I was told the flavor is different depending on which way I do it.Thank you kindly for sharing your recipes & instruction.
Shakai,
Roast whole cumin seeds first, then grind them.
Hi Aunty
can we use gur instead of sugar??if yes..wat amount should one used?
thnx for lovely recipe!
Aji,
Gur will work usually you should put little more gur then sugar, taste and adjust.
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!
hey maria,
i am also from brasil. what kind of tamarind did you buy to make the chutney…is it available at the supermarkets here?
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’.
Thanks, Manjula, for this wonderful recipe! I added a link from my blog so others could try… It was easy and turned out absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Manjula aunty,
Can we make this using the Tamarind Paste??
the suggestion that bbq sauce is preferable to tamarind chutney is bizarre. the commenter is of course free to express her preference but the two sauces are very dissimilar. the chutney is delicious and very easy to make. i would encourage folks to give it a shot – it is truly delicious and very unique.
thanks aunty….you taught motherless daughters how to cook..
Hi Rekha,
I agree with you.
Reshma.
Yes, so true!
Manjula thank you. You have simplified cooking for men; who with your help will come out of dependency on women. You give new light to men in the kitchen. I have tried two of your recepes this far and my family have enjoyed them both. Aloo Paratha and Samousa and have come in here for the tamarind Chutney.
Good recipe – I love all the videos on your website by the way. I have some pictures of making tamarind chutney that I would love to share with you. Please view them on my blog, if you are interested: http://mangosoup.blogspot.com/2009/08/tamarind-and-raisin-chutney.html
namaste aunty…..i have a small question that some people cook this chutney……what is the difference if we dont cook it???
Hello aunty!!!!! your grand daughter is wayyyy tooooo sweet nd charming……i wanna ask u one question that i am planning to make this chutney nd for ur knowledge im making for the first time so hesitating a bit…i dont have seedless tamarind…instead of this i hv with seed …so how to make a pulp nd how to remove seeds out of it……do guide me aunty….
Rest thanks for all the wonderful dishes…..i tried almost all ur vegetables nd for the first time myhusband is liking all those……thanksssssssssssssssssssss thy all were awesome………
do reply me as soon as possible……as my mother n law is coming nd i hv to make all these things
Hi Manisha,
Make the chutney as recipe, soak the tamarind for little longer with half a cup of extra water, this will work fine, just little extra work.
Hello aunty!!!!! your grand daughter is wayyyy tooooo sweet nd charming……i wanna ask u one question that i am planning to make this chutney nd for ur knowledge im making for the first time so hesitating a bit…i dont have seedless tamarind…instead of this i hv with seed …so how to make a pulp nd how to remove seeds out of it……do guide me aunty….
Rest thanks for all the wonderful dishes…..i tried almost all ur vegetables nd for the first time myhusband is liking all those……thanksssssssssssssssssssss thy all were awesome………
do reply me as soon as possible……as my mother n law is coming nd i hv to make all these things 🙂
Quack! Quack! Nisha! Most medical authorities agree Tamarind is really good for you. There is evidence that it LOWERS cholesterol! Send your quack back to the duckpond!
My doctor advised me not to eat Tamarind because it elevates my blood pressure.
I like Kraft’s Barbeque Sauce far better than Tamarind (Imli) Chutney.
I have been using Barbeque sauce for last 20 years and it tastes better. Do not waste your money and time in preparing Tamarind chutney. We live in America and people use Barbeque sauce (chutney)…
I would be curious to know on what basis your doctor claims tamarind will elevate blood pressure? Is he/she referring to tamarind that has been made into chutney with salt added?
Barbeque sauce has a fair amount of sodium in it, depending on the brand and how much you eat.
Most medical authorities think Tamarind is good for you. There is evidence it actuallu LOWERS cholesterol. I suggest you find out if your doctor is a quack – if so, roast and serve with Tamarind Chutney.
Thank you, Manjula, for sharing your wonderful recipes and for your helpful instruction videos. I have always wanted to learn to cook Indian food, and look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Also, if any Food Network producers are paying attention, they should sign you up!
your grand daughter is really clever this is excellent chutney aunty but where are u lost these days i`m really missing your recipies
Aunty chutney was very easy according to your way
I love this site! Thank you soooooo much. My mom never taught me how to make dishes so I’ve been learning on my own. I’m soo excited to try out all the delicious desi dishes. Please keep up the wonderful job.
Your granddaughter is way too adorable! And thank you for the recipe! 🙂
OMG your reciepe is sooo quick n easy, b4 I learned it I was boiling the chuney for hours to make it thick, and you saved me so much time. I will b doing it your way from now on….Thanks a lot!
Manjula Aunty,
Your recepie are simple, easy and tasty.Thank you
Sujatha
Hello Manjula
I’m European and married to Indian, as my husband only prefere indian food, so i’m using your recipies which they are simple and very tasty. I’m cooking now like Indian born 😉 Thank you very much and waiting for another reciepies!
hello manjula aunty,
I am very glad to learn north indian receipes from you, as i am a south indian i stay n London right now……thank u very much, usually people dont share their knowledge but u r great.
byeee
Hi manjula auntie,
I have tamarind paste, can you tell me how i should make the chutney from paste?
Your Grand daughter is very cute
kajal
Hi Kajal,
use all the ingredients same way.
hi manjula how are you.your recipes are very good.i try your some recipes.very delicious.can you give me the recipe of red chtney which served with papadi chat.thanks
hallo Manjula ji ,
Can I prepare this chuteny without black salt & dry ginger?
thanks
Hello Manjulaji,
Can I use the tamrind paste available in the India store for this chutney? Will it still be thick? How much paste should I use? Will
the proportion of sugar be different?
I love your website and watch some video or the other everyday!!!
Thanks so much!
Hello Madhavi, It has been a long time I used tamrind paste taste the sugar, salt and papper to adjust to taste.
Hi Manjula Aunty,
I am amazed by this chutney. I prepared it today and papdi too. I will be making papdi chat for this evening. I know that we would eat too much and the dinner would be skipped 🙂 All your recipes are so so good that i just cannot believe that following them i have learnt so much. I have made mathri, khasta kachori, samosa, masala fries, spicy potatoes and so mnay other things from your website. Thanks aunty for so much help!
Btw..your granddaughter is very cute 🙂
Shanu.
Manjulaji,
I have a question. Some other websites prefer cooking the tamarind in a saucepan. What is the difference between cooked tamarind or raw tamarind like yours. Please suggest. Thanks in advance
texture is changed after cooking for chutney I use the hot water to make but not cook tamarind.
Oh and thank you for this recipe,I eat tamarind chutney on everything!! 🙂
Hahaha,soooooo sweet,your granddaugther!!!She is very lucky to have such a good chef as a grandmama!
Only add bananas when ready to serve. Bananas don’t keep well for too long once cut.
Can i add bananas to this chutny directly?
Why are the amounts on the clip and the print page different? which amount should i use?
hi
manjula aunty.
thanks for your efforts in teaching us receipes without onion and garlic.i am too happy and lucky to get your website.pls do vote good and more receipes for us to learn cook.
thanks renu for replying n trying to tell me thnx manjula masi too
Hi Renu,
Colander in hindi is channi
Hi Renu,
Do you mean “kalonji” the spice? It is called black onion seed in English (they are little flat, black seeds about the size of cumin (jeera).
You can add kalonji to a number of vegetable dishes. Is this what you inquiring about. Please clarify.
Thankyou.
Colander what it means in indian language?
hi manjula masi kem cho? i m very thankfull to u to give us such reciepies because girls like us in uk, us ………really need these. u really help us like mum
thank u from my whole family
Hi Manjula
I am looking for recepie for Kalongi. Do you think you can help?
Renu
Hello Parvathi, Yes you can use jaggery instead of sugar. You do have to use little more jaggery then sugar. Just taste and adjust to your taste.
Dear manjula
can i use jaggery instead of sugar ? if so please let me know the quantity
thank you
thanks aunty to tell about this chatney we are using it for long time but a simple tip is that to heat it for 2-5 minutes and than chilled and store by this method u can increas the life of this chatney and tast will be also increase…thank u
Hi Manjula,
I was surfing through the net for an authentic “Tamarind Chutney” recipe when i was lucky to stumble upon your great site. However, I noticed some discrepancies
between the ingredients quantities mentioned in the video clip and the print out
recipe. Please clarify so i can start making this delicious chutney.
Thanks in advance,
Abe
Thanks Ma’m, this truned out great! i used it for Pani-puri and papri chaat. and even as a cold drink. Infact, I love all your recipes a lot .
thank u so much mam.i really like yr tamarind chutney.i will try to make it very soon.
thanks onceagain
priya
Hello Neelam, yes you canuse tamrind pulp and I use granulated sugar.
Your recipes are simple and awsome. I have tried pani puri and kachori so far. I want to try this chutney:
1. Can I use tamarind pulp instead of whole tamarind?
2. Did you use granulated sugar or confectionary sugar?
Thanks a million
Can ground cumin be substituted for the cumin seed?
If you have bag full of cumin seeds, just dry roast them on any skillet on low medium heat till they are dark brown and grind it. Unfortunately, there is no substitute for that.
Manjulaji Namaste,
I love watching your video to learn indian cuisine. Any alternative for roasted ground cumin seeds? I have a bag of cumin seeds, can I alternate it?
Thank you.
Adrian
Manjulaji Namaste,
Wow! This chutney is so simple yet so tasty. I have made a bottle full of it and stored in the fridge to use for various snacks later.
I love Golgappa (Pani Puri), Chaat etc. a lot. Do you have any Chaat ke thele waali recipes? I would love to have them. Here in Swiss, we do not find much Indian eating places, so missing all the chaat items of India.
Looking forward for your chaat recipes soon.
Thanks
Rashi