Posted by Our typical evening snacks would include chapatti roll, cakes, cookies etc, along with a steaming mug of chocolate milk, which later got replaced with tea as we grew up. Once in a while when we had guests or mom got generous and wanted to break the monotony, samosas, and kachoris (deep fried, unhealthy snacks) were bought. We always preferred the sweet tamarind chutney that accompanied our snacks over ketchup. At times the chutney would be very watery or too sweet. So one fine day, we decide to make it ourselves.(we includes my sisters)
Measuring the ingredients was out of the question, we always relied on our taste buds. We wanted our chutney to resemble the spicy tamarind water served with chaat or Pani puris. And chaat masala gave the required kick along with the saltiness without adding any rock salt. Mom would often use tamarind to make pickles exclusively. But after this secret invention, we never went back to the pickle.
We were allowed to indulge in this activity on weekends with the promise to leave the kitchen in its original state. As much as we hated cooking we loved making this one just for fun. We enjoyed getting our hands dirty while separating the pulp. However, once made, it used to be a such a reward. It not just made our chaats and snacks taste better, it brought life to any bland meal. Once you have tamarind chutney, the green mint and coriander chutney is relatively easy to make. The fun part is assembling any chaat. Last weekend I wanted to make aloo chaat as starters for my guests. So I quickly boiled potatoes mixed in fried Indian cottage cheese and created a mini chaat station. We layered the potatoes and cheese with yogurt. Then drizzled to the two chutneys…Yum!! We Indians have such as a soft spot for Chaat, we drool at the mere mention of it. So, go ahead and create your own fun chaat station and bring in a little madness of Indian street food right into your house with these chutneys.
So, go ahead and create your own fun chaat station and bring a little madness of Indian street food right into your house with these chutneys.
Tamarind and jaggery Chutney
Course: condiment
Cuisine: Indian
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Yield: NA
INGREDIENTS
Tamarind 60 g
Jaggery 100 g
Chilli flakes 2 tsp
Chaat masala 1 ½ tsp
Date puree 3 tbsp
Ginger powder 1/8 tsp
Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
Cornflour solution 1/2 tsp dissolved in ½ cup water
METHOD
- Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of hot water for half an hour
- Remove as much pulp as you can from the seeds
- Strain and discard the seeds and fiber
- Place the pulp along with all the other ingredients except cornflour solution in a pan and gently heat it
- When it comes to a boil add a teaspoon of cornflour solution and bring the chutney to the desired consistency
- Adjust the sweetness and let the chutney cool before storing in airtight containers
Magic Ingredient 
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