Imli ki Khatti Meethi Chutney

Imli ki Khatti Meethi Chutney is a finger-licking sweet and sour tamarind chutney dressed with melon seeds.

Imli – the word itself makes your mouth water! Yes, I am posting under the alphabet I today, with A to Z, Thali Recipes as my theme  Imli ki Chutney.

Imli ki Khatti Meethi Chutney is more of a tangy, piquant tamarind sauce, a must in Indian Chaats. The chutney is tangy, sweet, spicy and salty, a perfect blend of spices, which laces the Aaloo Tikki, Dahi Wada, Pani Poori, Samosas, and the never-ending list of our Indian chaats.

Today’s Imli ki Khatti Meethi Chutney is a little different from the regular chutney that we make. This has an equal amount of sugar and jaggery. Sugar gives the chutney a lighter colour and a sheen, a gloss that is not so prominent with jaggery chutney.

The spices like black salt, roasted cumin powder and asafoetida give the chutney an excellent flavour and aroma. The chutney if well cooked can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.

There are different variations of the Imli ki Chutney, where the different ingredients change the taste and each one is actually used in a particular chaat, but at the same time they can be interchangeably used.

Imli ki Chutney with dates is very popular in Gujarat, whereas Dry Mango powder is used to make the Saunth or Meethi Chutney in the North. Some regions use only jaggery whereas some use both sugar and jaggery.

Freshly sliced bananas are added to this Chutney for a unique flavour, while melon seeds are added to the chutney for crunch and nuttiness. This chutney is also served along with a meal at the Parathe Wali Gali, a narrow lane in the walled city of Delhi. Assorted parathas with Aloo Mattar ki Sabzi, Kaddu ki Khatti Meethi Sabzi is what they serve on the Thali. You can check the Thali that I created for it.

Imli ki Khatti Meethi Chutney

Ingredients

100 gm tamarind
250 gms sugar
250 gms jaggery
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp black salt
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp dry ginger powder
Pinch asafoetida
1 tbsp melon seeds
Few sliced bananas

Method

Soak tamarind in 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes.
Remove pulp, add another 1/2 cup water to remove the leftover pulp.
Roast the melon seeds lightly.
Boil 1 cup water, add grated jaggery and sugar.
Stir to dissolve them.
Add the tamarind pulp and cook for 15-20 minutes on a slow flame.
Add the roasted seeds, chilly powder, black salt, garam masala, dry ginger powder.
Check the chutney should be one thread consistency.
Add the seeds.
Let cool and add sliced bananas, you could add pomegranate pearls and grapes too.

Here are the recipes under the A – Z series of Thali Recipes –

A – Almond Stuffed Dates

B – Bhavnagri Mirch ke Bhajiye

C – Chakundar ka Bharta

D – Dal Bhindi

E – Elaichi Kesar China Grass

F – Fruit Payasam

G – Gatta Capsicum

H – Harabharyachi Usal

Print Pin

Imli ki Khatti Meethi Chutney

Imli ki Khatti Meethi Chutney is a finger-licking sweet and sour tamarind chutney used for Indian chats.

Cuisine Indian Cuisine

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 100 gms Tamarind
• 250 gms sugar
• 250 gms jaggery
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tsp black salt
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp dry ginger powder
• Pinch asafoetida
• 1 tbsp melon seeds
• Few sliced bananas

Instructions

• Soak tamarind in 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes.
• Remove pulp, add another 1/2 cup water to remove the leftover pulp.
• Roast the melon seeds lightly.
• Boil 1 cup water, add grated jaggery and sugar.
• Stir to dissolve them.
• Add the tamarind pulp and cook for 15-20 minutes on a slow flame.
• Add the roasted seeds, chilly powder, black salt, garam masala, dry ginger powder.
• Check the chutney should be one thread consistency.
• Add the seeds.
• Let cool and add sliced bananas, you could add pomegranate pearls and grapes too.

Notes