Meethi Chutney (Tamarind Sweet Chutney/Relish)

A sweet thick chutney, excellent accompaniment for Dahi Vadas or any other Indian chat items (street food).

Ingredients:

• 100 gm seedless tamarind
• 4-5 pitted dates (optional)
• 100 gm jaggery/mollases
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp toasted cumin seeds (powdered)
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder (saunth, optional)
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind in a cup of water for 20 minutes. Afterwards, remove the pulp & keep aside the extract.
2. Heat up a sauce pan & pour in the tamarind extract with another cup of water. Let it boil. Meanwhile if you are using the dates, grind it in a blender and make a rough paste.
3. When the tamarind extract starts to boil, thrown in the dates & jaggery pieces to it & simmer the heat down. Let it boil for 10-12 minutes until it starts reducing.
4. Add salt & the ginger powder at this time & oil for another 4 minutes. Switch off the heat & put the toasted cumin powder to it. The sauce will thicken as it cools down. The more thick the sauce/chutney, the more delicious it would be.