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Tamarind Chutney (Central Indian Imli)

centralindian-imliSweet Tamarind Chutney aka Imli Chutney made with tamarind, jaggery and spices. This is a staple chutney used in India for all kinds of chaats.

seedless tamarind around ¾ cup packed tamarind (70 g)
2¼ cups water 18 oz, divided
1 tsp. oil
¼ tsp. cumin seeds
generous pinch hing
¾ cup powdered jaggery (105 g)
¼ cup granulated white sugar (50 g)
½ tsp. cumin powder
½ tsp. kashmiri red chili powder
½ tsp. kala namak black salt
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. ginger powder
¼ tsp. red chili powder or to taste

Add seedless tamarind in a pan and add 1½ cups (12 oz) water to it.

Put it on heat and bring to boil. As soon as it comes to boil, turn off heat, cover the pan with a plate and let it remain like that for 25-30 minutes.

Then transfer mixture to a blender and blend to a fine paste.

Sieve the mixture using a strainer to get rid of all the fiber. Add additional ½ cup (4 oz) water while sieving the mixture.

Now heat oil in a kadai/wok on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and hing and let the cumin seeds splutter.

Add in the prepared tamarind paste and mix. I added ¼ cup (2 oz) more water here (so total water added is 2¼ cups = 1½ cups (initially) + ½ cup (while sieving) + ¼ cup (after adding tamarind paste to pan). Mix well.

Add jaggery, sugar and mix until the jaggery and sugar dissolve, around 2-3 minutes.

Then add cumin powder, kashmiri red chili powder, kala namak, salt, ginger powder and red chili powder. Mix everything well.

Simmer the chutney on medium heat for around 6 minutes until the chutney thickens. Taste test and adjust sweetness accordingly. Also you can simmer more for thicker chutney. I don't like it super thick so this was perfect for me.

Let the chutney cool down and then store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator. Serve sweet tamarind chutney with samosa, chaats etc.

Makes 2 cups.

Cook's Notes:

  • Use gluten-free hing to make the chutney gluten-free.
  • The amount of sweetness can be adjusted to taste. Also feel free to add more chili powder for extra-heat. Even some garam masala would be nice if you prefer more kick in the chutney.
  • Additional add-ins include dates, raisins, melon seeds. Please see the recipe post for more details.