Tamarind Chutney

You know, you can store tamarind chutney in a jar and keep it in the refrigerator for more than a week.

For me, it never waited for a festival. Some days, it went with dahi vada. Some days, it went with hot aloo tikki. And on rainy days, I used it with fritters (pakodas). It made everything taste complete.

I still make it the same way. Nothing fancy — just tamarind, jaggery, a little sonth (ginger powder), jeera, chilli, and salt. Cook it until it looks shiny, then store it in a jar.

Whenever tikki, pakora, dahi vada, or anything fried comes out, this chutney comes out too.

That’s it. One thought of chutney, many small, happy plates.

Thoughtsout
Make a jar on Sunday. The rest of the week, dahi vada, tikki, pakora — all wait for the same spoon.

Ingredients

• 1 cup seedless tamarind (imli)
• 2 cups warm water
• 3/4 cup grated jaggery
• 1 teaspoon dry ginger powder (sonth)
• 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• A pinch of black salt (optional)

Method

1. Soak the tamarind in warm water for 20 minutes, until you can mash it with your fingers.
2. Mash well. Strain into another bowl, pressing the pulp. Throw away the fibre and seeds.
3. Pour the liquid into a pan. Add the jaggery. Medium flame. Stir so it does not stick.
4. Bubble gently for 8–10 minutes, until it turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon. It thickens more as it cools, so do not cook it to jam.
5. Add sonth, roasted cumin, red chilli powder, salt, and black salt if you are using it. Stir one minute. Taste. Sweet first, then tangy, with a little heat.
6. Cool completely. Spoon into a clean, dry jar. Refrigerate.
7. On dahi vada, use a thin drizzle, not a flood. It also sits next to tikki and pakoras.

Common mistakes

A wet spoon or a wet jar spoils it. Cooked too thick, it sets like toffee in the fridge. Glossy and spoon-coating is enough.

Questions people ask

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