Sweet, tangy, and oh-so-delicious! Our homemade dates and tamarind chutney is the perfect addition to your chaat dishes, the popular street food of India. Making your own Indian dates and tamarind sauce is easy and it can even be stored in the freezer for later use.
About this homemade Khajoor Imli Chutney
I've been making this homemade Khajoor Chutney for over two decades, and it's always a staple in my freezer. My friends and family always lick their fingers and ask for more when I use it in dishes like sev puri, dahi puri, or samosa chole chaat.
Making this chutney is super easy with the only time-consuming step being the straining of the ingredients. Once you've made a large batch, you can freeze it in portions and enjoy it throughout the year.
This chutney goes by many names, such as Red Chutney, Dates Chutney, Tamarind Chutney, Meeta Chutney, or Sonth Chutney. Chaatwala vendors would make the same chutney minus the dates, as it will not be economical for them.
If you have never made it, try it today!
Ingredients
Dates - I use seedless Dates or Medjool dates, which are easily available to buy in Indian stores.
Tamarind - It adds a tangy and slightly sour flavor to the chutney. I recommend using tamarind concentrate, pulp, or the tamarind slab which can also be found in Indian stores.
Jaggery - It is a type of unrefined cane sugar, is used as a sweetener to balance out the tartness of the tamarind. Very close to dark brown sugar.
Salt - Don't forget to add salt to taste for a perfectly balanced flavour!
Spices -For added depth and flavour, I like to use a blend of spices including chilli powder, cumin, black salt, black pepper, and ground ginger powder. You can adjust the spices to your liking, depending on how spicy or mild you prefer your chutney to be.
How to make Dates and Tamarind Chutney for Chaat?
To make Dates and Tamarind Chutney for Chaat, follow these simple steps:
Step 1 - Place all the dates, tamarind, jaggery and water in a saucepan. Boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 2 - Blend and then pass it through the sieve.
Step 3 - Add ground spice powders, salt to taste, and mix it all together.
Step 4 - Enjoy and store the rest.
How to use Date Tamarind Chutney?
This Indian Date sauces is a popular condiment in the South Asian cuisine . Here are some of the ways to use it
As a dip: Serve the chutney as a dip for snacks such as samosas, pakoras, or chips.
In chaat: Drizzle the chutney over samosa chole chaat, sev puri, dahi puri, bhel puri and more
With grilled vegetables or meat: Use the chutney as a marinade or sauce for veggies or meat.
As a salad dressing: Mix the chutney with some olive oil, lemon juice, and salt to create a sweet and tangy salad dressing.
In curries: Add the chutney to curry sauce for a sweet and tangy flavour.
Storing Date and Tamarind Chutney
If you want to keep your date and tamarind chutney fresh, you have two storage options:
- Fridge: Put the chutney in an airtight container or a glass jar and store it in the fridge. It will stay good for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezer: Divide the chutney into portions and freeze it for up to a year. To thaw, transfer the chutney to the fridge and let it defrost before using. If you need to use it immediately, you can microwave it until it's warm and ready to go.
Homemade Dates Chutney recipe for Chaat
Ingredients
- 200 g dates pitted and deseeded
- 100 g tamarind
- 100 g jaggery
- 500 ml water
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- ¾ teaspoon Black salt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
Instructions
- Put the dates, tamarind, jaggery, and dried red chili in a saucepan with water, bring it to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the flame and let it cool down.200 g dates, 100 g tamarind, 100 g jaggery, 500 ml water
- Transfer the mixture to a blender jar and process it until it's smooth.
- Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve to collect the fibre on the top and the sauce at the bottom. Add a little water if necessary.
- Add ground spice powders, salt to taste, and mix it all together.1 teaspoon chilli powder, ¾ teaspoon Black salt, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon dry ginger powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- Once the sauce has cooled down, transfer it to a convenient glass jar or squirty bottle to serve.
- Portion and store any remaining sauce in freezer-safe containers and freeze until needed.
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Anupama says
Iron rich chutney Sandhya! 🙂
Varunavi says
Yummy chutney.
Renu says
very nice chutney...thx for sharing
munchcrunchandsuch says
wow, looks damn gud. it will be useful to check ur blog whenever I make a chaat with this chutney
my kitchen says
Tempting chutney,will try soon