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I know that maybe when you think of chutneys you are thinking about something thick, but I formulated this Tamarind Date Chutney to be more of a pourable sauce because I was thinking of the meaning of life. I mean, the meaning of this chutney's life, to be specific! Which is: to be the most glorious, sweet sauce to drizzle onto chaats and to dip samosas and onion pakoras into!
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Tamarind has been cherished for its sweet/sour, almost sour-cherry-like flavor and medicinal properties in Indian cuisine since ancient times. Many store-bought tamarind sauces are sweetened with sugar or high fructose corn syrup, which is straight trash.
Due to your terrible misfortune and karma, it's not every day you get to drizzle this sweet, sour tasting goodness all over your shakarkandi chaat (and your face). Gosh, chaat recipes like aloo tikki chaat, bhel puri and aloo papdi chaat even call for this legendary sauce as an ingredient, so it's really not something you should be living without. But today, that sad period of your life comes to an end. This sauce recipe is the demigod of condiments, rescuing bland, basic meals with just a drizzle! It takes hardly any real "cooking" and just 8 simple ingredients (heck, one of them is water, for crying out loud). So let's get some of this absolute nectar whipped up quickly!
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🥰Why you'll adore this tamarind chutney recipe
✊ Vegan AF, SF & GF: Like all my sattvik recipes, this sweet and sour condiment is completely plant-based. But what ELSE doesn't it have? I mean, with only 8 ingredients in it, there's an almost endless list of things that you will NOT find in here, right? But the main things you might give a darn about are it has no soy, peanuts, tree nuts, refined sugar, and it also happens to be one of my completely gluten-free vegan recipes to boot!
🔬 Let Thy Food By Thy Medicine: In Ayurveda, India's Vedic medicinal system, tamarind is prized for its high content of antioxidants, which help combat inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. It is also rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and magnesium, which contribute to overall well-being and immune function.
Dates are particularly rich in potassium, which supports heart health by regulating blood pressure and reducing the risk of stroke. Dates also contain antioxidants like flavonoids and phenolic acid, which help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
🌡️ Spice Toasting Science: Toasting whole cumin and fennel seeds unlocks aromatic oils and compounds that are otherwise dormant, giving this chutney an unforgettable depth of flavor. These spices make the sauce distinctly Indian, and super different from the Indonesian-style tamarind sauce used in Asinan Sayur, which contains soy sauce, or the Vietnamese dressing containing vegan fish sauce that's used in dishes like Banh Trang Tron.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of the vegan recipes I share, after tweaking and perfecting it, I shared it with a massive team of recipe testers who replicated it successfully in their home kitchens all around the world.
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🌶️Ingredients for Tamarind Date Chutney
Dates
Not all dates are created the same. Medjool dates tend to be softer and have the most caramel-like sweetness out of all date varieties. If you can't find Medjool dates, Deglet Noor dates are a fine substitute, though they are less sweet and slightly drier. Either way, remove the pits and the tiny woody calyx if it's still on the dates. That little circular woody thing is the remains of the flower from which the date fruit develops, and will be gritty in the blended chutney.
Cumin Seeds
Cumin seeds, called Jeera throughout most of India, add a warm, earthy undertone that is sorta essential to an authentic Imli Chutney. If I had to choose one variety of cumin seed to get married to and live out the rest of my life in a cottage with, it would 100% be the wild mountain cumin from Burlap and Barrel. I use it in everything from Arbi Sabji, Bottle Gourd Curry, and nourishing yellow arhar dal to non-Indian recipes like Red Curry Paste and Bumbu Bali.
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Using this link, add the wild mountain cumin to your cart, spend at least $15 on some of the other absurdly good spices from Burlap & Barrel (they all seriously slap) and the bottle of this bangin' wild mountain cumin becomes FREE, and you will love it so much.
Fennel Seeds
No Mommy, these babies ain't just a common ingredient found in vegan Italian recipes like vegetarian Italian Sausage, and vegan meatballs. Fennel seeds contribute a slight licorice-like taste, which brings some nuanced complexity to the sweetness and tang of the tamarind in this chutney. If fennel seeds are too strong for your palate, anise seeds (like what you might use to make Picarones) can be a milder alternative.
Chili Powder
Kashmiri red chili powder is some of the brightest, most vibrant (but also not TOO hot) chili powder in the galaxy. It's one of the cornerstone spices for authentic Indian cooking, and I use it in recipes like mango pickle (heck, even achar masala has some in it itself), vegan tikka masala, and saag aloo. Sweet paprika with a tiny bit of cayenne pepper mixed into it can serve as a substitute if you don't live near a good Indian grocery store that has the legit stuff.
Tamarind
To make this recipe not only fast, but also easy for folks all around the world to have consistent results, I formulated it to work with tamarind concentrate (available in most good Asian grocery stores) rather than the whole pods from the tamarind tree. I like a tamarind paste with about the consistency of yogurt, not the super dark pastes like Tamcon. If you want to make your own tamarind concentrate, soak tamarind pulp (or shell and use the insides of some tamarind pods) in an equal amount of warm water until softened. Then remove fibers and seeds, and blend in the homemade tamarind paste. Cook the pureed tamarind mixture in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes to reduce the moisture content to your desired consistency.
Black Salt
Kala Namak, or black salt, imparts a distinctive earthy, sulfurous aroma that is crucial in many Indian dishes like chana dal and sweets like amla candy too. I use the stuff in lots of non-dairy cheese recipes, too, like my vegan parmesan. Anyway, if you can't get it, or don't love it, regular salt can work here in a pinch (see what I did there?). Or add a little chaat masala to pink Himalayan salt to get sorta closer to the kala namak magic.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Punjabi Imli Chutney
For a Punjabi vibe, add a teaspoon of garam masala and a sprinkle of dried fenugreek leaves (OMG, I could write love poems about kasuri methi and the wonders it performs in my soya chaap sabji) during the blending process. These spices add a robust, aromatic warmth that pairs nicely with the sweet and tangy base of the chutney.
South Indian Tamarind Sauce
Incorporate a touch of South Indian flavor by adding a pinch of asafetida (hing) and a few curry leaves when toasting the spices. This variation introduces a slightly pungent aroma and a distinct taste typical in South Indian chutneys, making it suitable for serving medhu vadai as a chaat item.
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📖 How to make this date tamarind chutney recipe
Nail this like a pro on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Bath Time for Dates:
Place the pitted medjool dates in a glass jar or bowl. Cover them with freshly boiled water and let stand for fifteen minutes to soften thoroughly.
Step Two
Spice Aroma, Unleashed:
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. After about 90 seconds when the pan is hot, add the cumin and fennel seeds, tossing them occasionally. Cook for just a couple of minutes until fragrant and lightly golden, then remove from heat to cool.
Step Three
Together Forever:
Transfer the softened dates and their soaking liquid to a blender. Add the cooled spices, chili powder, tamarind paste, black salt, and fresh ginger (or ginger powder if unavailable).
Step Four
Smooth Operator:
Puree the mixture until it achieves a smooth, pourable consistency. If the chutney is thicker than you like, simply blend in a little more water. If you want the chutney thicker, place it in a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook it, stirring occasionally, until it reduces to your desired consistency.
Step Five
Storage Solutions:
Pour the finished chutney into a clean serving bowl or storage jar. This chutney keeps well in the refrigerator, staying fresh for up to two weeks when sealed tightly in an airtight container.
💡Serving Ideas
Tamarind Date Chutney is a versatile sauce that North Indian restaurants use to perk just about anything up with its sweet, tangy flavors, along with its lifelong partner in crime, green cilantro mint chutney. Other Indian condiments that you might want to pair this with are amla pickle, hari mirch ka achar, and Andra-style carrot pickle.
It's sort of a problem how hard it is to stop eating breads like Amritsari Kulcha or Kerala Parotta when drizzled with this yummy sticky chutney. When I serve rice and dal to my kids (like my red lentil dal over veg. biryani or Indonesian coconut rice), they sometimes like to mix in a little of this chutney to sweeten it. I guess this is because of the time my family spent in Puri (my wife and I got married there), where the Jagannatha prasadam is on the sweeter side.
👉Imli Chutney Top Tips
- Soaking Secrets: This might sound obvious, but ensure you soak the dates in hot water for enough time to soften them thoroughly. If your dates are super dried out, they might need longer than the recommended 15 minutes. Make sure they are soft enough to effortlessly squish between your fingers
- Toasting Technique: When toasting the cumin and fennel seeds, keep a close eye on them to prevent burning. Toast them just until they become fragrant and slightly golden in color, as burnt spices will ruin the flavor of the chutney. If your pan is on the thicker side, immediately remove the seeds from the pan when they are done so that the heat radiating from the pan doesn't continue to darken them.
- Customization Corner: Experiment with different spices, such as adding a pinch of cinnamon or cloves for warmth, or a hint of chili flakes for extra heat. Get creative and make the chutney your own! You can change the consistency by blending in extra water if you want a thinner tamarind sauce, or thicken it by reducing the chutney over low heat until it reaches your desired thickness.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Tamarind Chutney can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. It's best enjoyed fresh, but if you freeze it, it can last up to two months. Make sure to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using.
Yes, you can adjust the sweetness of Tamarind Date Chutney by adding more or fewer dates, or by adding some maple syrup, jaggery powder, brown sugar, coconut sugar, or palm sugar (my fave for making desserts like klepon and kolak biji salak) during the blending process. Taste as you go and add additional sweeteners like jaggery or sugar if needed. Want to go in the other direction? A tiny bit of lemon juice or lime juice can help give the chutney a more pronounced sour taste.
You can, of course, stir in a little sweet tamarind chutney to naturally perk up sabjis that don't have a sweetness to them. My daughter routinely stirs some into kathal ki sabji, peerkangai kootu, and parval sabji to make them more kid-friendly.
It's also great drizzled onto my chickpea spinach curry, and vegan butter chicken made out of homemade seitan.
✌️My faves to serve with date tamarind chutney:
Learn to make your fave pure veg. Punjabi classics in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Date Tamarind Chutney (Imli Chutney Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 10 medjool dates pitted
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ⅓ cup tamarind concentrate
- ¼ teaspoon kala namak black salt or regular salt
- ½ teaspoon ginger grated
Instructions
- Place the pitted medjool dates in a medium bowl. Pour the boiling water over the dates and let them soak and cool for 15 minutes until they are very soft.
- While the dates are soaking, toast the cumin and fennel seeds for 2-3 minutes in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the pan occasionally and toast the seeds until they are fragrant and begin to pop. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Once the dates have softened, transfer them along with the soaking water to a blender pitcher, the toasted seeds and all remaining ingredients.
- Blend on high for 90 seconds, or until the mixture is completely smooth. If you use the chutney as a sauce and it is too thick for your preference, add a little more water to achieve a pourable consistency. If you want to make it thicker, simply reduce it in a saucepan over low heat for 20-30 minutes until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Transfer the tamarind-date chutney to a serving bowl or jar for storage. This chutney can be refrigerated and stays fresh for up to two weeks when stored in a clean airtight container under refrigeration.
Notes
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Meg says
So excellent. Adds a depth and a sweetness… a perfect addition. I did exactly as recipe says and had no need for adjustments. Thank you Chef Adam.