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Home » Recipes » Condiments

Easy Sweet Tamarind Chutney (Chutney for chaats)

Published: Jun 23, 2018 · Modified: Mar 14, 2023 by Geetha Priyanka · Leave a Comment

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Sweet tamarind chutney is a sweet, mildly spiced, sour sauce used in most Indian street-side food preparations. This gluten-free, vegan sweet sauce is one of the most essential multi-purpose Indian condiments used in chaats and as a dipping sauce for appetisers. 

sweet tamarind chutney in a white bowl placed on a marble along with a bowl of coriander leaves and a plate of chaat item.

This delicious, sweet sauce is not only used as a dip and an essential condiment in chaats but in some restaurants, it is served with a poppadum in a chutney tray along with yogurt mint sauce and onion salad.

Sweet tamarind sauce is slightly thick and has a smooth texture with sweetness from jaggery balanced with the sourness from tamarind, mild hot from chilli powder and dry ginger powder.

This Indian sweet chutney is also known as imli ki chutney, saunth chutney, sweet tamarind sauce, imli ki meethi chutney.

Ingredients

tamarind, jaggery, spices, salt and water placed on a wooden table.
  • Tamarind: Freshly extracted pulp. Feel free to use store-bought tamarind pulp.
  • Spices: Ginger powder, cumin powder, fennel seed powder, black salt, regular salt and chilli powder.
  • Sweetener: I have used jaggery powder. Feel free to use jaggery block.
  • Liquids: Water to cook chutney.

How to make sweet tamarind chutney?

college of 4 images showing the process of cooking tamarind pulp, water and jaggery in a steel pan.

In a pan add the tamarind pulp and water.

Now add the jaggery and mix well and bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat stirring regularly.

collage of 4 images showing the process of making sweet tamarind sauce in a steel pan.

Now add the ginger powder, cumin powder, chilli powder, fennel seeds powder, black salt and regular salt.

On medium heat, boil the mixture stirring regularly until it starts to thicken.

Once the chutney reaches the desired consistency, turn the heat off.

sweet tamarind sauce in a white bowl placed on a marble along with a bowl of fresh coriander and a plate of dahi puri chaat.

Allow the chutney to cool down completely before serving. Store the remaining chutney in a clean airtight jar in the refrigerator.

Tips and Tricks

Soaking the tamarind in hot water for at least 10-15 minutes and squeezing as much as possible helps to extract the maximum pulp. 

Consistency can be adjusted as per personal preference. For a thicker consistency, simmer longer until the sweet chutney reaches desired consistency. For pourable consistency, add more water. 

I like my chutney to be of a medium-thick consistency. So, to check that consistency, just lift the spoon out of the pan and make sure it lightly coats the spoon. 

Stir regularly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the base of the pan as it thickens. 

Taste test and adjust spices and sweetener to suit your taste. 

Substitutions

Dried tamarind is available at most South Asian or Indian grocery stores. I have used it to extract the pulp. Feel free to use tamarind paste instead. However, you may have to adjust spices and sweetener depending on the sourness of the paste.

Jaggery is an unrefined sugar made of sugarcane. Substitute it with sugar if it's not available in a nearby grocery store.

Storage

Tamarind chutney has a long shelf life and it must be stored in the fridge or freezer.

This imli ki meethi chutney can be stored in a clean jar in the fridge. It should last around 2 months if a clean and dry spoon is used every time to scoop out.

Consider freezing in portions for a longer shelf life.

Serving Suggestions

Imli ki meethi chutney is an essential sauce used in most of the chaats such as dahi puri chaat, masala puri chaat, chana chaat, bhel puri, pani puri, aloo tikki chaat.

Serve it as a dipping sauce for fried appetisers such as vegetable pakora, samosa, onion bhaji and bread vada. 

FAQs

How to store sweet tamarind chutney properly?

Allow the sweet tamarind sauce to cool down completely. Transfer it to a clean airtight jar and store in the fridge. Ensure to use a clean dry spoon to scoop out the required chutney whenever necessary. Alternatively, divide the chutney into required portions, pack it in a jar and store in the fridge. Use one jar at a time, ensure to finish it off in 2-3 days if you are unsure of using a clean dry spoon. The wet or unclean spoon results in the growth of bacteria over a period of time and spoils the chutney. 

Can sweet tamarind sauce be stored in the freezer?

Yes, freezing is the best option for extended shelf life. Freeze in desired portions and thaw before using.

What is chutney?

Chutney is an essential versatile condiment used as a side dish with a meal or as an accompaniment with appetisers or snacks. It is usually served to complement other dishes.

The term "chutney" originated in India and is now being used across the globe. Every region has its own version and way of making chutneys. However, in India chutneys are made with a wide variety of ingredients, mostly vegetables blended with herbs and spices. 

Tomato chutney, carrot chutney, green mango chutney and bombay chutney are used as side dishes to go with idli, dosa, poori and chapati. Vankaya pachadi (eggplant chutney) and allam pachadi are a versatile dish that not only goes well with South Indian breakfast dishes - idli, dosa and chapati but also goes well with rice - dal or rice - dal rasam. 

Unlike other chutneys, tamarind chutney and green chutney are not served as a side dish with a bowl of rice or other meal, they are rather used as a dipping sauce for appetisers and an essential part of chaat. Most of the chaats cannot be prepared without these chutneys and there's absolutely no substitute for these chutneys in chaats. 

📖 Recipe Card

sweet-tamarind-chutney

Sweet Tamarind Chutney for Chaats / Sweet Tamarind Sauce

Sweet tamarind chutney is a sweet and sour sauce used in most of the chaats preparation.  Tamarind chutney is slightly thick and has smooth texture with sweetness from jaggery balanced with sourness from tamarind, mild hot from chilli powder and dry ginger powder.
5 from 4 votes
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Course: Chutneys
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 1
Calories: 1259kcal
Author: Geetha Priyanka

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon =15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml

  • 1 Cup Tamarind Pulp
  • 1 Tablespoon Ginger Powder
  • Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Black Salt
  • 1 Cup Jaggery
  • 1 Tablespoon Cumin Powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Chilli Powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Fennel seed Powder
  • 1 Cup Water

Instructions

  • In a pan add the tamarind pulp and water.
    1 Cup Jaggery
  • Now add the jaggery and mix well and bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat stirring regularly
  • Now add the ginger powder, cumin powder, chilli powder, fennel seeds powder, black salt and regular salt.
    1 Tablespoon Ginger Powder, 1 Tablespoon Black Salt, 1 Tablespoon Cumin Powder, 1 Tablespoon Chilli Powder, 1 Tablespoon Fennel seed Powder
  •  On medium heat, boil the mixture stirring regularly until it starts to thicken.
    Salt
  • Once the chutney reaches the desired consistency, turn the heat off.
  • Allow chutney to cool down completely before serving. Store remaining chutney in refrigerator.

Notes

Tamarind chutney has a long shelf life and it must be kept refrigerated.
Jaggery is available in asian groceries store.
Substitute jaggery with sugar if jaggery is not available.
Soak tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes and strain to extract pulp.
Tamarind can be substituted with ready to use tamarind paste.
To get right consistency, just lift the spoon out of the pan and make sure it lightly coats the spoon. 
 
** Nutritional information provided here is estimated and for guidance only. Please refer my Recipe Disclaimer for more details.

Nutrition

Calories: 1259kcal | Carbohydrates: 304g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 7270mg | Potassium: 1132mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 264g | Vitamin A: 2523IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 266mg | Iron: 12mg
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Do let me know if you make this easy Indian sweet tamarind chutney. If you like this recipe kindly consider rating it using stars in the comment section or on the recipe card to help more people find this recipe online. You can stay up to date by following me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribing to my Youtube channel. Or why not subscribe to my blog and get simple recipes straight to your inbox?

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