Date and tamarind chutney

You can call it date and tamarind chutney, or khajur imli ki chutney or khatta meetha it is all the same. This sweet and tangy tasting chutney is a quintessential part of chats. Apart from using it for chats you can use this as dips as well. Trust me, Samosas, and kachoris and even banana or potato chips taste absolutely divine when dipped in this sauce. It's amazing how a dash of this sweet and tart condiment can enhance the flavor of a dish by leaps and bounds.

This iron rich dip, even though traditional and common, it never fails to impress. Just serve your guests any snack with this dip and you can be sure that they'll go home impressed. Though I love this dip in my chats, I love to have this with banana chips. Off late, I have seen that Purvi has taken a liking to this combo as well. She eats the chips only to lick the chutney off the chips!!!

Date and tamarind chutney recipe:

Preparation time: 20min

Cooking time- 5min

Makes- about 2 cups

Ingredients:

Dates- 15-20

Tamarind- approximately 100gms

Cumin powder- 1tsp

Jaggery-1/2cup

Black salt- 1tsp

Red chilli powder- 1tsp

Salt to taste

Ginger powder- 1/2tsp

Method:

• Stone the dates.Remove any seeds and clean the tamarind thoroughly and keep aside.
• Combine the dates and tamarind in a pan and add sufficient water and cook the mixture for 15-20min on a med heat till it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 6-8min more.
• Take off the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely.
• Blend the cooled mixture till smooth and add the Jaggery, red chilli powder, ginger powder, salt, black salt and mix well and cook the mixture on low heat for 2-3 min.
• Cool again and store in air tight containers and refrigerate. Use as required in the next few weeks. They are bound to stay fresh for a few weeks refrigerated and for a few months if frozen.