Kitchen Cheetahs: Home Made Spicy Indian Tamarind Chutney - To go with my Butter Chicken Recipe (Copy Cat)

Tangy-Sweet Indian Tamarind Chutney (Restaurant Copy Cat Recipe)

Homemade Spicy Tamarind Chutney

I love the tamarind chutney that Indian restaurants serve. The tangy-sweet contrast it gives to Indian food really appeals to me. Sometimes it is too sweet at the restaurants, or it isn't served with the meal at all . Sad. Anyway, I wanted to recreate it at home, since it is not readily available.

Tamarind is sour on it's own and has a wonderful fruity complexity. It is used in refreshing beverages and also in many sauces like Worcestershire sauce. It is high in pectin so it thickens naturally as it simmers. Tamarind chutney is a wonderful way to discover tamarind, if you haven't already.

You can find tamarind paste at ethnic food markets. You can also make your own tamarind paste from tamarind concentrate or even from whole dried tamarind pods. Just simmer the tamarind in water until soft. Dilute with enough water so that you can strain it through a metal strainer, pressing the liquid from the seeds and pulp. I dilute the pulp a couple more times, straining and pressing the pulp to remove all the usable juices. Simmer gently to concentrate into a thick sauce, or paste.

I love serving this chutney drizzled over my Indian Butter chicken recipe posted on this blog, or on Vegetable curry (recipe coming soon)!

Tamarind Chutney Recipe:

1 c. tamarind paste
1/2 c. erythritol (or Lakanto's zero-cal sweetener)
1/2 c. xylitol
2 to 4 T. vegetable glycerine, to adjust sweetness
1/2 to 1 c. purified water, or more as needed
2 to 3 t. coriander seed powder, to taste
1 to 2 t. cumin powder, to taste
1 t. ancho chili powder
1 t. fennel seed powder
1 t. black pepper powder
1/2 t. cinnamon powder
1/4 to 1/2 t. cardamom powder, to taste
1/2 t. bioSalt or sea salt (recipe on this blog)

Method:

Grind the spices together in a seed mill until very fine.

Mix everything together in a small saucepan and gently simmer a few minutes to blend the flavors.

Thin with water if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

Taste for sweetness and adjust the vegetable glycerine to taste.

Keep refrigerated. It thickens when cooled.

Serve with Indian food. YUM.

Note: The erythritol, xylitol, and vegetable glycerine replace 1 cup of regular sugar in this recipe.

Tip: Kitchen Cheetahs now has an original recipe for a Faux Tamarind Paste here.