Here is a sweet and tart Imli Khajur Chutney that's made with tamarind pulp, dates and jaggery. It's gently spiced with red chilli powder and ground cumin coriander. I've shared both cook and no-cook methods. I love it with spongy khaman and other Indian street food recipes.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and helpful content. The tried and tested recipe remains the same. First published 14th September 2010.
The best sweet & tangy chutney!
The best chaat recipes are nothing without a generous pour of imli chutney! I'd go as far as saying the chutneys can make or break the dish. My version has the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavour
Complete your trio of chaat chutneys with red chutney and green mint coriander chutney.
This sweet chutney is pretty versatile too. I usually make a big batch then freeze in smaller portions for later.
If you want to make a version without dates, check out my tamarind sauce instead.
Hayley x
Ingredients notes
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
- Tamarind - I tend to use tamarind or imli pulp that comes in slab form. The easiest way to use it is to break a bit off and then remove the seeds.
- Dates - any variety of dates works fine. Some are naturally sweeter than others so you'll likely find that you need to adjust the amount of jaggery you add.
- Jaggery – Jaggery comes in many different forms such as small blocks, bite-size pieces or in powder form. If you don't have jaggery, use brown sugar to mimic similar flavours.
- Red chilli powder - I find that adding spices just gives a little extra depth and it really completes the sweet, tart and (very mildly) spicy profile.
- Ground cumin and coriander - again, for depth of flavour.
Stovetop Method
5 minutes cook time
Microwave Method
10 minutes cook time
First add the dates, imli, jaggery and some water to a microwave safe bowl and MW on high heat for 5 mins.
Tip – use a bowl that is large or has tall sides to prevent the mixture from over-spilling in the microwave! It will save you a lot of cleaning up!
No Cook Method
5-6 hrs prep time
If you have a little more time on your hands (well done for being prepared!) then you can also make this chutney, no cooking required.
Simply soak the dates, imli and jaggery in warm water for around 5-6 hours few hours and then you can blend the chutney as usual.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Imli Khajur Chutney
Ingredients
- 100 gram tamarind pulp
- 75 gram dates
- 100 gram jaggery
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin and coriander
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Firstly, remove seeds from the 100 gram tamarind pulp and 75 gram dates.
- In a pan add approximately 200 ml water along with the tamarind, dates and 100 gram jaggery.
- Bring it to boil on a medium heat then simmer it about 5-8 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.
- Transfer the mixture into the blender and blend it until you get a smooth pulp, add little water if the pulp is very thick.
- Strain the mixture using a sieve.
- Discard the strings and other kinds of bits which left behind in the sieve.
- Add pinch salt, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon ground cumin and coriander.
- Let it cool completely before storing in a sealed jar.
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Lizet Flores de Bowen says
Your pictures are always mouth watering! I have all the ingredients and I'll give your recipe a try in a few days. Can't wait to try it!
jcookingodyssey says
Thanks Lizet, let us know if you do try it 🙂
Unknown says
Loved this post Jagruti, and I am bookmarking it. all these chutneys look so tempting!
Nammaruchi.blogspt.com says
Love them all so tasty and mouth watering!
Satya says
ahaaaa somany tempting chutney ...i love all of them ..yummy
San says
Colorful chutneys jags .Wish i could have some dosas n some vadas handy with them .Wonderful job.
Torviewtoronto says
chutney look delicious colourful
Urmi says
Chutney looks colourful, yummy and fabulous.
Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi says
ohh the garlic chutney looks so so good. make the other two but this one is new.
Unknown says
lovely display of colors too!!
Priya Suresh says
Droolworthy and very tempting chunteys, especially the dates chutney, love it very much when topped with aloo tikkis..
Padhu Sankar says
Nice information about chutneys .All three looks yummy!!Can I send thuvaiyal for your event which is similar to chutney
Pavani says
all the three chutnies looks yummy n nice colours..