Date Tamarind Chutney

Dates and tamarind chutney in Marathi

Yield: Approx 1 cup Chutney
Time: 10 minutes


Ingredients:
Pitted baking Dates 150 grams (Tip 1)
lemon sized Tamarind (seeded)
1/4 cup grated Jaggery (Optional) (Tip 2)
1 Green chili or 1/4 tsp red chili powder
4 to 5 Mint leaves
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
2 pinches Black salt (Kala namak)
Pinch of salt

Method:
Tamarind Pulp
1) Soak tamarind into 1/2 cup hot water. Or you can boil 1/2 cup water, add tamarind, turn off the heat and cover the pot for about 1/2 an hour.
2) Once tamarind water cools off, add it to blender and blend nicely. Then strain add the thick pulp by using fine mesh.
Dates pulp
3) I used pitted baking dates which are seeded and crushed nicely. Add few tbsp water to it and mash with hands.
4) In a blender add green chili, mint leaves, mashed dates, tamarind pulp, jaggery, coriander-cumin powder, black salt, and pinch of normal salt. Blend it together and make the chutney.
This chutney goes well with any chaat items, samosas and pakodas.

Tips:
1) If you are using normal whole dates, use around 13 to 15 dates. Remove seeds first. Then soak into warm water for about 2 hours. Use water only enough to cover the dates. Drain and reserve the water. Blend the dates to fine paste. If required, use little reserved water to make the paste.
2) I like extra sweetness to this chutney. Sometimes, only dates don't give this chutney the required sweetness. So, i have used little jaggery for sweetness. You can use sugar instead of jaggery.