Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Sweet and Sour Date-Tamarind Chutney

This is another household pet chutney/relish that is good to have on hand to do its magic on all kinds of snacks like Bajjis, Pakoda, Kunukku, and Ragada-Patties. It is quite easy to make and will store in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks in an airtight jar or in the freezer for longer storage.

Combined with the Green Chutney it makes a delicious salad dressing especially for chopped salads like Kale Bhel Salad.

Ingredients:

Tamarind pulp, the size of 1 golf ball
Dates, a handful to equal the tamarind
1/2" piece Fresh Ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Jaggery or Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 Dry Red Chili

Method:

Soak the Tamarind pulp in 1/2 cup of boiling water. When cool enough to handle, mash with your fingers to remove any seeds, fibers or shell pieces.

Heat the oil in a small pan with the spices: cumin, coriander and chili until slightly browned and aromatic. Remove from heat and cool.

Place tamarind pulp and all the rest of the ingredients in a blender jar and whirl into a smooth chutney. Add a little more water if necessary; the chutney should be thicker than pancake syrup but not as thick as ketchup.

Taste and adjust the salt and sugar to balance with the hot and sour tastes. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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