Tamarind and date chutney

Name: Tamarind and date chutney
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Makes about 150g
Cuisine: Indian recipes
Ingredients: 250g tamarind; 250ml hot water; 200g dates; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp fine salt; 75g caster sugar

Portion size: Makes about 150g
Hands-on time 10 min, plus soaking. Simmering time 25-30 min
Difficulty: easy

Dairy-free

Gluten-free

Vegan

Romy Gill

Chef and food writer

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Chef Romy Gill‘s easy tamarind and date chutney works brilliantly with dozens of dishes, especially any chaat recipe that requires a sweet tangy sauce. It keeps in the fridge for up to one week.

Browse our Indian side dishes for more fresh chutney and chaat ideas.

Before you start

The tamarind referred to is the dried blocks, available from Indian grocers and the world food aisle of some supermarkets. Can’t find it? Use 75g tamarind paste from a jar instead.

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Ingredients

250g tamarind
250ml hot water
200g dates
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp fine salt
75g caster sugar

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Method

Put the tamarind in a bowl and pour over 250ml hot water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve into a pan, pushing and squeezing the solids to extract as much pulp as possible
Stone and chop the dates, then add them to the pan with the ground cumin, chilli powder, ground ginger, fine salt and caster sugar. Cook gently for 25-30 minutes, then whizz until smooth in a blender. Leave to cool before using.