Tamarind and Date Chutney (Indian Mumbai Meetha Chutney)
Chaat is incomplete without Meetha Chutney and Green chutney which play a key role in elevating the taste of the chat. Meetha Chutney is also known as 'Meethi Saunth' and is mainly prepared with dates and tamarind, hence it is called as 'Khajur-Imli Chutney' or 'Date Tamarind chutney'. This sweet and tangy chutney can be used as a condiment to enhance the flavour of a dish or as a dip for anything from Samosas to banana chips.
tamarind (250 g)
40-45 Kharjur dried dates (250 g)
jaggery or sugar (500 g)
2 tsp. red chili powder
1 Tbsp. roasted cumin powder
1 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. kala namak/black salt
1 tsp. dried ginger powder
1 tsp. fennel seeds powder (saunf)
Clean and remove the extra fibres from tamarind and add 1-1½ cups of water to it and pressure cook it for 2 whistles. Once the mixture becomes cool extract the tamarind pulp by discarding any extra fibers and skin. Alternatively you can soak it in warm water for ½ hour and extract the pulp. You can follow either ways whichever is comfortable for you.
Pressure cook dry dates in 1 cup of water for 3-4 whistles. Cool them and remove the seeds from them.
Grind the dates with the water which is used for pressure cooking them to a very smooth paste.
In a heavy bottom pan add small pieces of jaagery (or sugar), ground dates paste and let it come to a boil. Add extracted tamarind pulp and keep it on medium flame and cook for 10-12 minutes until the jaggery is completely melted.
Add red chili powder, garam masala, roasted cumin powder, black salt, dry ginger powder and fennel seeds powder and mix well.
Reduce the flame and cover it with a clean lid (just cover it ¾) as the mixture splutters and makes the kitchen counter messy.
Let it cook for another 25-30 minutes until the mixture becomes very thick. Keep stirring it in between once in a while, take care when you open the lid the mixture might splutter on your hands. I personally prefer to taste the mixture in between and if I need to season it a bit I would add according to my preferences.
If the mixture is not thickened enough, let it cook for some more time until you get the desired consistency. I personally prefer to make the mixture this chutney very thick almost to the consistency of Jam as this way you can store this chutney for long. As I prepare this in big batch, it would easily last for couple of months for me. You can easily store it for more than six months.
Cool the mixture completely for 3-4 hours. Store it in sterilized Glass bottles or air tight bottles in refrigerator.
When required, scoop out required portion using a clean spoon and dilute it with water to get the required consistency.
Serve the chutney with any snack/cutlets/pakoras or use it in any Chaats as required.
Cook's Notes:
Do the process bit careful as we are going to store it for long. Make sure that no water droplets would fall in the chutney.
Always cover the kadai just ¾ as the mixture will keep bubbling after certain stage and makes the kitchen counter messy and also be careful while stirring it. It might cause blisters if it falls on the skin.
This chutney should be prepared bit on a more sweeter side, hence when you taste it would be very sweet but is apt to use it for chaats and snacks.
You can use either Jaggery or sugar in the recipe, though personally I prefer to use jaggery.
If it is prepared carefully and maintain the consistency of Jam you can easily store it for over a year which makes it quite comfortable to use in chaats when required.