Tamarind Chutney (aka Imli Chutney)

Tamarind chutney, also known as imli chutney, is a great Indian dipping sauce that goes great with all chaats, or street food. It adds the perfect balance of sweet and sour to anything. Here is how I made our chutney.

2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
2 cups water
1/2 cup jaggery or sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder


1. Boil 2 cups water in pot. Add in the tamarind paste and mix well so that no lumps form.
2. Add the jaggery next and reduce heat to medium.
3. When mixture has reduced to about half a cup, add the ground cumin powder, salt and red chili powder. Keep stirring the chutney. When the chutney nicely coats the spatula, then you know it is ready. Remove from flame.
4. Chutney will thicken up more once it cools. You can add more water to get correct consistency.
5. Allow it to cool completely before serving. Serve with appetizers, like samosas, pakodas, or on top of chaats. You can also make the chutney in bulk and refrigerate for later use.

I used concentrated tamarind paste, which is available in most Indian stores. I found it quicker and easier than from scratch. When you use the whole tamarind, you must soak it in boiling warm water for 30 minutes or so. Then deseed it, strain it and remove all the pulp. It's too much work. Just use the paste and make it like above. You can also buy the jar of ready made tamarind chutney at the store. Apple Butter mixed with the spices would also work.

This tamarind chutney recipe was used to garnish the Ragda Patties I made.