Why It Works
- Palm sugar and dates give this chutney body and earthy sweetness.
- Ground ginger and Kashmiri red chile powder add savory spice and depth.
- Steeping the tamarind briefly in warm water softens to guarantee it blends easily.
It’s rare to find mint chutney without its partner in crime, sweet-and-sour tamarind chutney. Store-bought and restaurant versions are often sickly-sweet, loaded with corn syrup and sugar. Instead, my homemade chutney recipe gets its body and mellow sweetness from chewy dates and earthy palm sugar.
Tamarind can be found in many forms, from jarred concentrates to dried whole pods. Here, I’ve used seedless tamarind paste, which gives all the flavor of the fresh pods without any of the fuss. A quick steep in hot water softens the dates and tamarind and melts the palm sugar, readying it all to be blended into a smooth chutney.
November 2017
This recipe was originally published as a component of our Papri Chaat (Indian Street Snack With Potato, Chickpeas, and Chutneys) Recipe and is being republished here as a separate recipe to make it easier to use.
