Imli chutney (tamarind chutney)

MAKES 500ML, APPROX 2 CUPS

This sweet, tangy, spicy chutney is deliciously addictive. No gathering and function menu is complete without imli ke chutney making an appearance. She is like an “item girl” in a Bollywood movie. No masala movie is complete without an item girl making an impactful appearance, shimmying and shaking to the sounds of a catchy beat! Similarly, tamarind chutney can be described as doing figure 8s and thumkas (hip jerks) on one's tongue. Chutneys are eaten in very small portions. Do not let the quantity of sugar put you off. As this chutney is cooked, it will keep for a year. Serve it as a dipping sauce with bhajiya and seinna as well as an accompaniment to your meals. While you can buy tamarind pulp or tamarind concentrate, I prefer to extract it from dry tamarind compressed blocks. The flavour is smoother and it won’t have the additives often found in tamarind concentrates.

150g dry tamarind

1 cup hot water (not boiling) 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 2 teaspoons fennel seeds 3-4 cups warm water

6 cloves garlic, crushed 7-8cm piece ginger, grated 5-6 hot chillies, or to taste 50g of grated coconut (optional) 3 tablespoons oil

1 stalk of curry leaf, leaves plucked ½ teaspoon turmeric powder 500g raw sugar salt to taste

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup hot water for 10 minutes until the tamarind has softened. Meanwhile, dry roast the cumin seeds and fennel seeds over medium low heat. Grind coarsely and set aside. After 10 minutes, using clean hands, massage and squeeze the tamarind to extract the pulp. Strain the pulp through a large strainer, using the back of a spoon to push the extract through. Add the warm water, half cup at a time and extract all the pulp until there’s only fibre and seeds left (set the fibre aside – see hints).

Grind the crushed garlic, grated ginger, chillies (and grated coconut if using) to a paste.

Heat oil in a stainless-steel pan. Add the curry leaves and fry for 5 seconds. Quickly add the ground coconut or spice paste and turmeric. Sauté the paste, stirring often for 2-3 minutes.

Add the tamarind pulp and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add salt and half the quantity of sugar. Stir well to dissolve. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more sugar and or salt as required.

Add the ground cumin and fennel seeds, stir and cook for a further 10–15 minutes on very low heat, stirring often.

Decant the chutney into glass jars or containers straight away. HINTS Add a handful of pulverized dates along with tamarind pulp to this chutney, but remember to reduce the sugar quantity accordingly. Tamarinds can vary in sweetness and sourness. Always add a little sugar at a time, taste and adjust. You may need to add more salt to balance the flavours.