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Recipe

Imli Chutney

35 min · Serves 10 · Pakistani

Why make it

A glossy, sweet-sour tamarind chutney sweetened with jaggery and lifted with roasted cumin, fennel and black salt. Keep a jar ready for samosas, chaat and pakoras.

Serves 10

You’ll need

  • 150 g seedless tamarind pulp block, broken into pieces
  • 3 cups hot water, divided
  • 150 g jaggery (gur), grated or chopped
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds (zeera)
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf)
  • 1 tsp dried ginger powder (sonth)
  • 1 tsp black salt (kala namak)

+ 2 more in the full recipe
1

Step 1 of 8

Put the tamarind pieces in a bowl and pour over 2 cups of hot water. Leave to soften until the pulp breaks apart easily when pressed.
2

Step 2 of 8

Mash the tamarind with your fingers or the back of a spoon until it turns into a thick, muddy paste with no hard lumps.
3

Step 3 of 8

Press the paste through a fine sieve into a saucepan, scraping the underside of the sieve. Pour the remaining 1 cup of hot water over the leftover fibres, mash again and sieve it into the pan.
4

Step 4 of 8

Toast the cumin and fennel seeds in a dry pan over medium-low heat for about 1 minute, until fragrant and a shade darker. Cool briefly, then grind to a coarse powder.
5

Step 5 of 8

Add the jaggery and sugar to the tamarind liquid and set the pan over medium heat. Stir until both have dissolved completely.

The last 3 steps are in the full recipe.

Cook’s tip

Sieve twice for a smooth chutney; leftover fibres and seeds make it gritty.

Ready to cook?

Imli Chutney

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 Get the full recipe