The tamarind chutney represents the perfect marriage between sweet and sour flavors! Often spread on top of popular street foods or as a dipping sauce for snacks, tamarind chutney is one that everyone should know how to make! The best part is that it is extremely easy to create this sweet and sour, thick chutney! This recipe tastes great with rice or roti, and the combination makes a great meal for lunch! Make sure you pack the meal in an insulated lunch box so you can enjoy it warm later.

Health Benefits

The tamarind has many nutritional components. These components include high levels of vitamin C, B, and E, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, iron, dietary fiber, and manganese. Tamarind also has numerous organic compounds in it that make it a good anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent.

Good news for those that are one a diet, tamarind is extremely diet-friendly. It has properties inhibit enzymes in the body that specifically help store fat. Tamarind also aids in the production of serotonin, which makes you feel happy!

Ingredients

tablespoon of canola oil: 1

teaspoon of cumin seeds: 1

teaspoon of ground ginger: 1

cup of cayenne pepper: 1/2

teaspoon of fennel seeds: 1/2

teaspoon of asafoetida powder: 1/2

Garam masala: 1/2

cups of water: 2

cups of white sugar: 1 1/8

tablespoons of tamarind paste: 3

How To Make Tamarind Chutney

1. In a saucepan over medium flame, add oil and splutter cumin seeds, ginger, cayenne pepper, fennel seeds, asafoetida powder, and garam masala. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes so the flavors can diffuse.
2. Once the flavors have diffused, add water, tamarind paste, and sugar. Mix vigorously as the mixture comes to a boil and simmer until the chutney becomes a deep brown in color and thick enough to cover the back of a spoon. This will take up to 30 minutes. Although, the tamarind chutney might look thin after 30 minutes, once it begins to cool, it will thicken.

Trivia

• Tamarind is native to tropical Africa.
• Tamarind consumption exists all over the world and it is the main ingredient in cuisines of India, South East Asia, the Americas and Mexico.
• The tamarind tree has “pod like fruit,” that has edible pulp. The pulp is what gets used in food.
• When pulp is extracted from unripe tamarind fruit, it is really sour and used as a pickling agent.