How to Make Imli Chutney

Chutney, also called "chatni," refers to the popular condiment widely used in India and other countries to flavor a variety of dishes, especially those made with meat. Chutneys may be dry or wet depending on ingredients, and they usually are named after the principle ingredients that provide the bulk of the condiment. "Imli" means "tamarind" in Hindi, the primary language spoken in northern and central India, and imli chutney is so named because it is made with tamarind fruits to provide a strong sour note to a sweet-and-sour condiment. Each region of India specializes in making certain varieties of chutney, with imli chutney most popular in the Haryana, Punjab, and Karnataka regions.
To make imli chutney, only use a dried tamarind pulp commonly available in Indian and Asian specialty groceries. Avoid the liquid tamarind sauce or syrup, which often has additional ingredients that adversely affect the chutney's flavor.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 cup of dried tamarind pulp 2 cups warm water 2 cups mild flavored vegetable oil 2 whole cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) heaping ½ cup jaggery (see tips) ½ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder ¼ to ½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper (Piper nigrum) 1 teaspoon cumin powder, preferably roasted a pinch of asafoetida (optional) salt to taste a frying pan a long-handled spoon or heat-safe spatula a blender a fine mesh strainer

1. Remove any seeds from the tamarind pulp and discard them.

2. Soak the seedless tamarind pulp in warm water for approximately an hour. The pulp should be squishy with no hard bits.

3. Remove the tamarind pulp from the water and strain the mixture to remove any solids. Be sure all the skins and fibers from the tamarind are completely removed.

4. Heat the oil in a pan on high until the oil shimmers slightly but doesn't smoke.

5. Add the whole cloves and stir fry them briefly, no more than 30 seconds, then remove them and discard them.

6. To the hot oil in the pan, add the tamarind pulp, jaggery, chili powder, pepper, cumin, asafoetida, and salt and stir once or twice.

7. Reduce the heat in the pan to medium and cook the mixture for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool completely.

9. Taste the mixture to check the balance of flavors. If the chutney seems too sour, add a little extra jaggery and salt to balance the acidity.

10. Place the cooled mixture in a blender and process to a fine puree.

11. Return the strained mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture becomes thick.

12. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate until used.

Tips & Warnings

• Many Indian cooks insist that a black salt called kala namak provides far superior flavor to chutney than standard sea salt or table salt because of the subtle sulfurous mineral taste it provides. Jaggery is a crystalline sugar made from concentrated and unrefined sugarcane or palm tree sap. It can be found at most Indian and Asian food specialty stores. If you don't have access to jaggery, consider replacing it with a dark sugar like brown sugar or a muscovado sugar with a high molasses content. Roasted cumin can be made by toasting 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds on a griddle or cast iron pan, then grinding them using a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.

References

• Chutney
• Jaggery
• Asafoetida

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