Indian street food or chaat is an amalgamation of sweet, sour, salty and spicy taste notes.  Together, they create umami in your mouth which is satisfying not just to your taste buds but to your soul! Ah, just talking about chaat makes my mouth water! The tamarind date chutney is what provides the sweet and tangy notes to any chaat. Mummy would make this chutney at home. The aroma of the chutney cooking is still so fresh in my mind! So there was no way I was going to settle for store-bought chutney when I moved to the USA. Here is my version of this chutney. You can use it in any chaat recipe. It can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to a month!

What you will need:

How to make it:

• Deseed the dates and soak them in 1 cup of hot water for at least 15 minutes. Make a paste of this mixture.
• Soak 200 g of deseeded tamarind in 1 cup of hot water for at least 15 minutes. Make a paste of this mixture. You can also use 200 g of tamarind pulp instead.
• Dry roast 2 1/2 teaspoons of cumin seeds and grind them into a powder.
• In a cooking vessel, add the date paste, tamarind paste/pulp, cumin powder, salt, jaggery, 1/2 cup water and red chili powder.
• Place this vessel on a medium flame, stirring frequently till the jaggery melts.
• Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the flame off and let the mixture cool completely.
• Store in an air tight container. Place the chutney in the refrigerator and use for up to a month.