Date tamarind chutney

Date tamarind chutney is a popular Indian sweet and sour sauce. This tangy chutney is used as a dip or stir-in sauce for numerous Indian snacks like samosas, sevpuri, panipuri, bhelpuri, dalvada, tikkis, and chaats.

Dates act as a fantastic natural sweetener and work very well in lieu of other sweeteners. The acid pulp of tamarind is a natural astringent and is very useful for cutting bland tastes. Tamarind tends to go well especially with dal or lentil dishes.

Ingredients:
100 gms tamarind (remove seeds)
200 gms dates (pitted)
grated jaggery (optional)
2-3 cups water
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Process:
In a saucepan, put the tamarind, dates, and water and cook on a medium flame till the dates and tamarind are soft. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool. Use a mixie to blend the mixture together into a smooth sauce. Next, strain tihs mixture through a strainer into a container. Strain it out completely so that you get a smooth consistency. It should not be too runny. Add salt, red chilli powder. Taste it and see. If you feel it is still a bit sour, you can add grated jaggery per taste. Chill and serve.

Tips:
1. As a general rule, take twice the amount of dates or more compared to tamarind. I hardly use jaggery when I make this chutney.
2. Many of my friends make this chutney in bulk and store it in the deep freezer. It keeps very well for a month or so. Just keep it in an airtight freezer container. Whenever you want to use it, just take it out, thaw, and use it. It tastes just fine every time you use it.

Coconut Cilantro Chutney

Coconut-cilantro chutney is a great example of how good raw food tastes when it is prepared with right ingredients especially when served with dosa, idli, vada, uttappa, or other South-Indian based dishes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Fresh grated coconut
3/4 cup Cilantro
1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
3-4 Curry leaves
Asafoetida
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Yogurt
Red chillies



Process:

Mix grated fresh coconut, cilantro, green chillies, yogurt, and salt in a mixer/blender for a little while. Remove in a bowl.

For tempering, heat oil in a small pan(tadka vessel), add the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves, and asafoetida.

Add this mixture to the chutney.