Date Tamarind Chutney

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Date tamarind chutney is this amazing sweet, sour and ever-so-slightly spiced sauce that you pour all over chaat, like pani puri, sev puri and samosas, and it makes them magical. The beauty of making it on your own, though, is you can make it a little more tangy if you like and make sure you use fresh ingredients, keeping it as natural and healthy as possible (even though it's quite sweet). It is almost always paired with coriander chutney or mint coriander chutney, so if you are making this, I'd recommend making some coriander chutney as well and having together on some chaat or samosas. (Aside: are samosas considered chaat? I don't know). Anyway, it's delicious and very easy to make. Enjoy.

Date Tamarind Chutney:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate, or 1/2 cup seedless fresh tamarind
• 200g dates, seeds removed, or 1/2 cup seedless dates
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup jaggery or brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Combine tamarind, dates and water in a heavy bottomed pot. Simmer on low heat for 8-10 minutes until the date and tamarind are soft
2. Add the jaggery and spices and cook 2-3 minutes more, until the sugar is dissolved
3. Blend smooth with a hand blender
4. Strain if you have bits of crunchy skin or pith from the fresh tamarind or dates
5. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more sugar if necessary.
6. Let cool and store in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It will keep for a while.