Tamarind-Date chutney

The sweet & sour chutney is the main ingredient in all chaat recipes. The jaggery makes the chutney sweeter, but you may omit it if you prefer a more tangy flavour.

Ingredients:

Traditional-
Dates (Khajur) - 2 cups de-seeded
Tamarind (Imli) - 1/4 cup de-seeded
Jaggery (Gur) - 1 cup grated
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Asafoetida (hing) - a pinch
Salt to taste
Water - 4 cups

Microwave-
Tamarind - 1 big lemon size
Dates syrup - 4 tbsp OR a small lemon size
Jaggery - 1/4 cup OR to taste
Red chilli powder to taste
Salt to taste

Method:

Traditional-
Wash the dates and tamarind and place them in a sauce pan. Add the jaggery, chill powder, asafoetida, salt and 4 cups of water and simmer for 20 to 25 mins. Cool and strain the mixture through a sieve. You can also puree the chutney in a food processor and then strain it.

Microwave-
Soak the tamarind and dates (if not using syrup) for half an hour and extract the juice. Add it to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 4 mins. Add the rest of the ingredients and microwave on high again for 3 mins. If it is still very watery, microwave on high for another 2 mins.

Tip:
Tamarind - Date chutney can be stored refrigerated for upto a month and deep frozen for upto 6 months.