• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Fat Rainbow
  • About
    • Contact
  • Recipes
  • Blog
  • Healthy Snacks
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Blog
  • Free E-Book
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Condiments » Indian Tamarind Sauce | Tamarind Chutney

    Indian Tamarind Sauce | Tamarind Chutney

    Published: Sep 13, 2021 · Modified: Sep 13, 2021 by Siri · This post may contain affiliate links

    Sharing is caring!

    61 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Email
    Jump to Recipe

    Making Indian tamarind sauce at home is the cheapest and healthiest way. It is super simple and takes less than 20 minutes (minus soaking time for tamarind)! Use it as a dip for bhajis, samosas, pakoras, drizzle over chaats, poppadoms and salads.

    a bowl of tamarind sauce with spoon, paneer balls

    Indian chaats and appetizers are quite tempting to resist and one of the main accompaniments is this sweet tamarind chutney also known as tamarind sauce. Little pots of this tamarind chutney along with mint cilantro chutney are often served across all Indian restaurants with poppadums and samosas.

    Nowadays, bottles of tamarind sauce are commonly appearing on the shelves of all major supermarkets across the UK and other global markets.

    Jump to:
    • What is Tamarind Sauce?
    • Why make tamarind chutney at home?
    • Ingredients
    • Step by Step process for Tamarind Chutney
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Recipe Variations
    • Storage
    • Recipe Tips and FAQ
    • Indian Tamarind Sauce | Tamarind Chutney
    • Notes
    • Nutrition

    What is Tamarind Sauce?

    Indian tamarind sauce is also known as tamarind chutney is a condiment made of tamarind, (often dates are added) and few simple spices. Making tamarind sauce at home is incredibly easy.

    It is also called Imli ki chutney

    Imli = tamarind in hindi

    It is served as a dip with samosas, bhajis and drizzled over all Indian chaats(famous /ndian street food)

    Why make tamarind chutney at home?

    Supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury’s. Marks and Spencers sell Tamarind Sauce or Maggi Tamarina Sauce. But these may be ok for a quick fix but far from the real restaurant-style or Indian street style.

    tamarind sauce in a pan, with spices and a small bowl in the background

    Also, store-bought Tamarind Sauce has a different smell probably down to the preservatives added to keep it fresh for long. They taste too tart for me, personally.

    Making fresh tamarind sauce at home is incredibly easy and much healthier.

    You can make it in bulk and store it in the fridge for a month and freeze it for up to 6 months.

    Budget-friendly – making tamarind chutney at home is very cheaper and one small bottle stored in the fridge goes a long way.

    a small bowl of tamarind chutney served with paneer balls in a plate with lemon wedge

    Ingredients

    • Tamarind – Tamarind is easily available in most Super stores and Indian grocery stores. Look for seedless tamarind if you are new to this.
    • Pitted Dates – are completely optional and added to get swete tamarind chutney
    • Jaggery – available in all super markets and indian stores. Sugar can be used instead but the taste will be entirely different and will not taste authentic.
    • Spice powders – my recipe uses Ground Cumin, Red Chilli Powder, Chaat Masala, and Ground Ginger.Ground Fennel is also added in few recipes.
    • Salt – try to get black salt(also know as kala namak)or kosher salt if you can.
    • Water – to soak the tamarind and thn the pulp. using hot water will quicken the process.

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Step by Step process for Tamarind Chutney

    1. Soak – Add Tamarind to a bowl and cover with enough hot water from the kettle. Allow the tamarind to soak for about 30 minutes.
    2. Process -Once the tamarind is cool to handle, squeeze the pulp by hand to extract juice. If you think you cannot handle with hand, you may use a blender. make sure there are no seeds before blending.You may need to add about ½ – ¾ cup of water for blending.
    3. Sieve Pass – Seive the squuezed juice to discard any pips and to get a clear juice, Add a little more water if needed to push the pulp through.
    4. Spice Powders – Now add the spice powders, salt to the tamarind pulp, and stir to combine.
    5. Cook – Place the pan on the heat, bring the sauce mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat and for 5 minutes,allow it to simmer for another 6-7 minutes. Continue to cook further if you like it thicker. But be aware that the sauce thickens once cooled, so you may want to keep it little runny.
    6. Store – Once the sauce has cooled down, transfer to a sterilized glass jar or squirty bottle to serve. Store the remaining sauce in freezer-safe containers and freeze until needed.
    a small bowl of tamarind sauce with serving spoon

    Serving Suggestions

    Imli ki chutney can be served as a dip to samosas, bhajis, pakoras, paneer cutlets and many appetizers. It can be also drizzled over Indian chaats, chickpea salads etc, pani poori etc.

    Recipe Variations

    Making tamarind dipping sauce at home means, endless opportunities for customised flavours.

    • For making Sweet Tamarind Chutney – Use 1 part of Tamarind, 1 part of Pitted Dates, and 1 Part of Jaggery.
    • You can use concentrated tamarind paste for making instant chutney.
    • It will cut down the cooking time by half. Dissolve the tamarind concentrate in water and proceed with the recipe as usual but cook for less time.

    Storage

    Store the tamarind sauce in a dry and sterilized glass container for up to 1 month in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer. Scoop out required quantities when needed.

    Recipe Tips and FAQ

    Use seedless tamarind to avoid difficult handling, if using tamarind for the first time.

    If you add excess water, cook for some more time until the sauce thickens.

    Adding prunes instead of dates helps reducing calories AND SUGAR if you are trying to lose weight.

    What does tamarind sauce taste like?

    It is slightly sour and sweet and tangy.

    Are tamarind sauce and tamarind chutney the same?

    Yes, they both are the same. It is called chutney in the Indian subcontinent and tamarind sauce is a name used by global supermarkets. also, tamarind paste is the concentrated version of tamarind and not chutney.

    • Baked Pumpkin Chips
    • Aratikaya Fry | Raw Banana Fry
    • Crispy Baked Masala Fries
    • Baked Paneer Cutlet

    Come and follow me on:
    FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST
    TWITTER and YOUTUBE

    You can also subscribe to Fat Rainbow so that you never miss any new updates and also get free healthy snacks e-book. If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a Comment, Rate It and Tag us in your photos #FATRAINBOWCOOKS on INSTAGRAM

    Indian Tamarind Sauce | Tamarind Chutney

    Siri
    Tamarind sauce also as tamarind chutney is a dip served with samosas,pakoras, bhajis and indian chaats. it is very simple to make at home.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 12 mins
    Course Condiments, Side Dish
    Cuisine North Indian
    Servings 10
    Calories 100 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup Tamarind
    • 3-4 cups Water or as needed for soaking and cooking
    • ½ cup Jaggery grated or roughly powdered
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala
    • ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger 
    • ¼ teaspoon Tsp Fennel Powder optional
    • ½ teaspoon Black Salt or Kosher Salt 

    Instructions
     

    Preparing Tamarind Pulp

    • Soak – Add tamarind to a bowl and cover with enough hot water from the kettle. Allow the tamarind to soak for about 30 minutes
    • Process -Once the tamarind is cool to handle, squeeze the pulp by hand to extract juice. If you think you cannot handle with hand, you may use a blender. make sure there are no seeds before blending.You may need to add about ½ – ¾ cup of water for blending or extracting juice.
    • Sieve Pass – Seive the squezed juice to discard any pips . Add a little more water if needed to push the pulp through.
    • Spice Powders – Add the spice powders, salt to the tamarind pulp, and stir to combine.

    Cooking Sauce

    • Cook – Place the pan on heat, bring the sauce mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes and allow it to simmer for another 7 minutes. Continue to cook further if you like it thicker.
    • Store – Once the sauce has cooled down, transfer to a sterilized glass jar or squirty bottle to serve. Store the remaining sauce in freezer-safe containers and freeze until needed.

    Serving Suggestions

    • Dipping Sauce: Serve tamarind chutney as a side condiment dip with Indian snacks like pakoda, samosa, kachori, aloo tikki ,paneer cutlet. potato wedges or french fries also can be dipped
      Topping or mixing sauce: You can even use it as a topping sauce for chaat snacks like dahi vada, sev puri, pani puri, dahi puri, katori chaat, bhel puri.

    Notes

    1. Use seedless tamarind to avoid difficult handling, if using tamarind for the first time.
    2. If you add excess water, cook for some more time until the sauce thickens.
    3. Adding prunes instead of dates helps reducing calories if you are trying to lose weight.
    4. Store the tamarind sauce in a dry and sterilized glass container for up to 1 month in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer. Scoop out required quantities when needed.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @fatrainbowgirl or tag #fatrainbowcooks!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 100kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 127mgPotassium: 150mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 8IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram @fatrainbowgirl or tag #fatrainbowcooks!

    Hello there, I’m Siri, love food shopping more than perfumes or dresses. At one point I lost control of myself and ate my way until I was near obese. Now, am here to write about my experiences in maintaining a healthy, balanced body and mind. Remember, the best lessons are always from failed people.

    Learn more about me →

    « Egg Fried Barley | Barley Egg Fried Rice
    Rice Bran Juice | Thavudu Juice »

    Sharing is caring!

    61 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hey there!

    Hi, Am Siri I love food shopping more than perfumes or dresses. At one point I lost control on myself and ate my way until I was near obese. Now, am here to write my experiences on maintaining a healthy, balanced body and mind. Remember, the best lessons are always from failed people. Read More…

    New Recipes

    Vegetarain Protein Pulao

    Instant Pot Dal Palak(Spinach Dal)

    Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup

    Roasted Plums with Cottage Cheese

    Baked Pumpkin Chips

    Rice Bran Juice | Thavudu Juice

    Follow me for latest!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Don’t Miss These!

    Broadstairs to Margate Kentish Coastal Walk

    Masala French Fries

    How to make healthy Masala French Fries

    Baked Paneer Cutlet

    Andhra Pachi Tomato Pachadi{Raw Green Tomato Chutney)

    Categories

    Trending

    barley-egg-fried-rice

    Egg Fried Barley | Barley Egg Fried Rice

    cooked barley on a plate

    Instant Pot Barley(Pearl and Hulled)

    Crispy Baked Masala Fries

    Egg Keema | Anda Keema Masala

    Appetizers

    Aratikaya Fry | Raw Banana Fry

    Crispy Moroccan Roasted Potatoes

    Healthy Paneer Popcorn{Baked+Oil-free}

    Breakfast

    Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

    Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

    Methi Paneer Bhurji

    Brunch

    a bowl of mushroom fried rice with chopsticks

    Mushroom Fried Rice

    Healthy Fried Rice for Weight Loss

    Healthy Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto

    One pot vegetarian protein pulao made with easy kitchen stapes ideal for a week day quick meal. Perfect for family dinners and can be made in less than 30 minutes, vegan and high protein meal! Each serving has approx 19g of protein! As a vegetarian i always struggle to hit my protein goals , don’t…

    Read More

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    More Info

    • Privacy Policy

    Fat Rainbow

    • Work with Me
    • About

    Need help?

    • Contact

    fatrainbow is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites at no cost to you.

    COPYRIGHT© 2021 FAT RAINBOW

    61 shares