Tamarind Date Chutney

This sweet and tangy tamarind date sauce is the brown chutney served with samosas, pakoras and aloo tikki. Keep it thick for dipping or thin it out for chaat and drizzling.

If you've eaten samosas or chaat at an Indian restaurant, you've had this sweet tamarind chutney. It's the brown one, thick and tangy, served alongside the green chutney. Some people call it khajur imli chutney, sonth chutney, or just sweet chutney, but tamarind keeps it tart as well as sweet.

It goes on everything: samosa, aloo tikki, ragda, bhel puri and pakoras. I keep a big batch in the freezer so there's always some ready.

It's almost always paired with cilantro mint chutney, the fresh green one. Sweet and tangy against herby and spicy.

Tamarind Date Chutney for Samosas

If you order samosas at an Indian restaurant, you usually get two sauces with them. This sweet tamarind chutney is the brown one. 

For dipping, you want it thick. A thin chutney just runs off the samosa and pools on the plate. So keep it on the thicker side for samosa and pakoras, and only add water to thin it out when you're using it for chaat.

Ways to Use it. Samosas are just the start. I use this chutney on:

• Aloo tikki and ragda pattice
• Bhel puri, sev puri and other chaat
• Pakoras and onion bhaji
• Dahi vada
• Spring rolls, fries, pretty much anything you'd dip

Ingredients

Besides dates and tamarind, this chutney uses jaggery, ground coriander, ground cumin and dry ginger powder. Red chili powder adds a little kick but is optional.

Dates. You can use regular dates or Medjool. I find Medjool sweeter, so when I use them I scale back on the jaggery.
Tamarind. I use my own homemade tamarind paste, but store bought paste works, or seedless tamarind sold in blocks. Store bought paste is usually stronger, so you may not need the full amount. See the recipe notes if you're using a block.

How to Make Tamarind Date Chutney

Add the dates and water to a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer until the dates soften, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the jaggery and spices and let everything melt together and thicken. Let it cool, then blend until smooth. 

Transfer it to a bowl and stir in the tamarind paste. Go slow here. Tamarind paste varies in strength from brand to brand, so add little by little and taste as you go. You may not need the full amount, especially with store bought concentrate. 

If you still see bits of dates, press the mixture through a sieve. 

The chutney will be thick. Before serving, adjust the consistency with water: keep it thick for dipping samosas, thin it out for chaat like bhel puri.

How to Store and Freeze

Store the chutney in a glass jar or air tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. It also freezes well for up to 3 months, which is why I make a big batch. Freeze it in a large freezer bag pressed into a thin flat layer. Then you can break off just the amount you need without defrosting the whole bag.