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Khajur-Imli (Date-Tamarind) Chutney
August 26, 2007 | 43 Comments
… Date and Tamarind Dip
We think the one area where Indian cuisine outshines all others is in the variety and flavours of its condiments. The whole range of chutneys, podis (powders), dips and pickles accompanying the main course is breath-taking.
Ghugra with Khajur-Imli Chutney
This particular sweet-tangy dip is popular in northern and western India, with chaat, samosas and a variety of savoury snacks.
A batch takes about 15 minutes to prepare, and lasts a month in the refrigerator.
Plus, it’s packed with nutrients.
Dates are a powerhouse of essential vitamins and minerals.
A 100 gms of dates contains calcium (32 mg), magnesium (35 mg), phosphorus (40 mg), potassium (652 mg) and small quantities of iron, zinc, copper and selenium.
They are rich in vitamins A, B6, B-complex, and folates, and contain more than 20 amino acids.
Detailed nutrition data HERE.
Dates are a fantastic natural sweetener, and work very well in lieu of other sweeteners in baked goods and smoothies.
We like it tangy, others like it sweeter. You can always add more jaggery or tamarind towards the end to suit your taste.
For about 2 cups chutney:
Soak about 3 ounces (85 grams) ripe tamarind in 1.5 cups water and microwave it on HIGH for 30 seconds. Leave it aside to soak. You may need less or more tamarind depending on how dry the packaged tamarind it. If using tamarind concentrate, start with one tablespoon, and add more later if you wish to.
Chop 12 fresh seedless dates into tiny pieces. You need about 3/4 cup chopped dates.
Put it to boil in a pan on medium flame with 1 cup of water. Cook it for five minutes or so until very soft.
Squish the tamarind with your fingers to extract all the pulp. Discard the fibre and seeds. Add the thick tamarind liquid to the dates.
Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp cayenne (chilli) powder, along with 2 tablespoons powdered jaggery. (Palm sugar, maple syrup or dark brown sugar can be used in lieu of jaggery.)
** Optional addition: dried or fresh ginger
Let it come to a boil, and cook for about 8 minutes until the mixture thickens. Add more jaggery if you want it sweeter, or more tamarind pulp if you want it more sour. Cook for two more minutes after adding these ingredients.
Cool and strain. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Tamarind.Pic from HERE
Tamarind (Tamarindus Indica) is called ‘Indian date‘, and is the fruit of the evergreen tamarind tree. Tamarind leaves are used in a variety of preparations in India. The tree is native to eastern Africa, and the fruit is commonly consumed in India, South and Southeast Asia, and in Mexico. They are very tangy and a tad sweet – with notes of date and lime. Tamarind is the secret ingredient in Worcestershire sauce. Nutritional info here.
More about tamarind and its uses HERE.
Filed Under: Date, dip, Jaggery, khajur-imli-chutney, Tamarind, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes
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43 Comments
One of my all time favorite chutneys and with ghugras, this is just a heavenly chai time snack
With me, this chutney won’t need a month of storage in fridge
oh, btw have you ever tried this imli based chutney with banans in it. It is a saunth style liquidy sauce with imli and have several spices in it, including ofcourse saunth and also cut banana. Usually seen in Punju weddings served along with samosas and pakodas
[...] Khajur-Imli Chutney [...]
Another wonderful post. I love the amount of details you feature. Good job!
I did not know that dates had so much nutritive value ;;) :tongue:I love this chutney :tongue:
I once ate something called a pitla which was a combination of bittergourd and dates – quite fascinating!
It looks great, B and J
THe easy way out is to pressure cook dates, jaggery and tamrind together, strain and grind it and add the spices. Saves the trouble of de-seeding the dates and chopping them up
Oops! i had posted a comment and its gone.
cool chutney and one of my favs. i mentioned something about an imli-saunth based chutney with banana pieces added to it, served in Punju weddings, in my previous comment.
i give up!
my comment is eaten again
Oh yes, I soooo agree with you – Indians have the most incredible relishes, chutneys and dips. I find it great that one can create their own based on one’s wild imagination. This is sounding really wild! I love it!
I agree totally… the flavours are numerous… multiply that by the regions and there you go.
Lovely post.
I just loveeee this chutney. I finish off half of it placed on the table even before the food reaches me ;;) Have been planning on making it at home forever now !!
I totally agree about the variety in Indian foods- condiments et al. Still continues to fascinate me! Your date-tamarind chutney looks divine- addictive creation that one.
Nice presentation Bee. Viji
my mom and sis make it this way, it tastes fantastic!.. i am lazy, so i take the easy route with tamarind… i know really shameless :embarrass
btw love the plate and that cute bowl
Kharjura is lot tastier to add in the meetha chutney than sugar, I love it too with all the Chaats!:)
I’m not a big fan of sweet chutneys in general but this one alone, has a special place in my heart.
Nice post. I add it all together in the pressure cooker and cook for two whistles….. saves lot of time and energy. The pulp stays for quite long in the freezer.
absolutely
no chaat is complete without this chutney
for a variation u might want to try adding some roasted jeera pwd as well
Slurp slurp!! Just love this chutney! thanks for all the information on nutritional values.
Wow!!!What a perfect Snack and a dip!! :yes:
Love this chutney! I always have this in my refrigerator.
I am a fan of tamarind! Hello Sambar! Bee, couldn’t resist adding that!!!
Kanchana
Delicious chutney…..never made at home, but always love the taste of it.
I love that chutney, we make it too. The ghugras looks delish too.
I love that picture of date on a leaf – amazing! I add some powdered cumin powder to my date-imli chutney; gives it a very smoky flavor.
Question on Ghugra: I love earthbalance marg..do you use it cold to make the dough, or do you let it soften/melt and then use it?
room temp works fine. – b.
Thanks for this very informative post! The chutney sounds fantastic!
I have to try that chutney. I think I would prefer it tangy too.
Yet another detailed post!
Thank you!
[...] Khajur-Imli Chutney [...]
oooohhh that makes my cheeks hurt. sounds delicious. I have to try this out.
Hey I made this, and posted a picture on my blog today(see the sidebar). One difference..I didn’t strain the chutney. I like the things in there.
Thanks.
Hi,
Yesterday I made your Date and Tamarind chutney, it came out really well. I think it’s first time commenting in your blog and first recipe I tried from your blog too. Thank u very much……….
cheers
rajani
Hey! I made this chutney and turned out good….i did not strain it , as i like those tiny dates
the only difference was the color..i did not get that dark colour in the pic, mine turned out to be brown…could be coz of the tamarind right !
Thanks a lot
Happy Holidays to both of you
Shn
i want imli sweets details.please send it to me.
Thank you for this super-simple technique and the recipe itself. I used to labour over a blender in less-experienced days and struggle to get each date to blend in… and then gave up on this chutney altogether… until today! It was delicious and so easy! I will now be making this often
WHAT A COMBINATION IN CHUTNEY ITS REALLY TEASTE & MUCH DELICIOUS I TRIED IT FIRST TIME & COOK ALSO FIRST TIME FROM YOUR BLOG IT IS REALLY DELICIOUS
THANKS
Dates imli chutney is wonderful. Instead if Imli or Imli Paste I used Imli Powder Mannar DRITAM its easy add as much one needs as well as Mannar DRI Ginegr Powder. The trail turned out to be good. Thank you.
Shrikanth Chatrapathy
[...] Today’s dinner. Cocktail Horse Gram Fritters with Cilantro Chutney, Sweet Chilli Garlic Sauce and Tamarind-Date Chutney. [...]
[...] and a good dollop of tamarind-date chutney. [...]
Hithis is muggulu.. I’m not a big fan of sweet chutneys in general but this one alone, has a special place in my heart..http//:www.kolamdesigns.com
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[...] morning, our fridge was running on empty except for some condiments like Cilantro-Mint Chutney, Tamarind-Date Chutney, Mayonnaise. Today’s menu revolved around a Smoky Chili Powder that J prepared from a [...]