Tamarind and Dates Chutney ~ Sweet Chutney~Mithi Chutney~ For Indian Chaats and Snacks

There are certain things that you will always find in my fridge and one of them is this dip/chutney. This 'mithi'(sweet) chutney as it is popularly called is one of the staples when making Indian chaats and pairs well with Samosa, Dahi Vada or Paneer Tikka. There are a number of ways to make it - with or without dates and I have made some varieties of it myself, depending on the things I have at hand. It was only when I posted these Dahi Vadas, I realized I have not posted a recipe of this sweet dip on this space, even though I have mentioned serving a couple of dishes here with it. So, when I made a fresh lot of this dip recently, I clicked a few pictures to share them here.

A post for another staple dip - Green Chutney will be up next. Lets hop to the recipe of this Tamarind and Dates Chutney now.

Ingredients:

15-20 dates, pitted, soaked overnight with just enough water to soak them
1 cup tamarind pulp
1 cup brown sugar/regular sugar/grated jaggery
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black salt
1 tsp ground ginger

Process:

1. Puree the dates along with the water they were soaked in.
2. Dry roast cumin seeds and the fennel seeds and coarsely ground them in a pestle mortar. Alternately, you can also finely grind it in a mixer.
3. In a heavy bottomed pan add the dates puree, ground cumin and fennel mixture and the rest of the ingredients and a cup of water.
4. Bring it to boil and then lower the heat and simmer the mixture for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take it off gas and let it cool completely.
5. Store it in sterilized glass jars and keep them refrigerated. Keep well for 2-3 months. Use it as needed in Indian chaats or as a dip with snacks or starters.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!