We can’t imagine our cuisine without chutneys. These are the essential side dishes or dips which add the flavours to our main course
A few such dishes which are incomplete without chutneys are our favourite chaat preparations. And where the chaat is, the Imli ki chutney must be there as an essential accompaniment. The making is very easy with a few ingredients required
Prep time – 4 hrs Cook time – 40 minutes Type – Side Dish Cuisine – Indian Author – Bharti Dhawan
Ingredients Required
Imli/Tamrind (seedless) – 200 gms
Dates/Khajoor – 7-8 (deseeded and roughly chopped)
Water – 2 cups for soaking+2-3 more cups for chutney
Sugar or jaggery – 300 gms or to taste
Salt – 1 tsp or to taste
Red chilly powder – 1 tsp or to taste
Roasted cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Fennel/saunf seeds – 1 tsp
Melon seeds – 1 tbsp
Instructions
1- Soak imli/tamarind in water for 4 hours. When the pulp is swollen, mash it with your hand and sieve to get a fine paste
* Some more water can be added to the pulp to extract more
2- Take a heavy bottom pan and add this pulp, 2-3 cups of water, sugar or gur, and dates, and keep for boiling on high flame
3- Keep on stirring until the sugar is dissolved completely. Reduce the flame to the low-medium side now
4- Add salt, red chilly powder, roasted cumin, and fennel seeds and stir at intervals to avoid sticking. As the sugar will start caramelizing, the consistency will become thicker
5- Time to add melon seeds and mix. Switch off the flame and let it cool completely. Pour it into a glass jar and refrigerate. Its shelf life is long. You can make a big batch to use further
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