The Indian spicy chaat is incomplete without the sweet and sour taste of Khajur Imli chutney. The taste of the chutney is also very much cherished with the Indian snacks like Samosa, Kachori, Dhokla, etc.

The chutney is easy to make, as it is made with just 3 main ingredients, that is Khajur (Dates), Imli (Tamarind) and Jaggery. There are many methods to make this chutney. It can be made by cooking the khajur and imli in a pressure cooker or in a pan. The instant method is by directly soaking the ingredient in the hot water and grinding it all together.

I make it in a slightly different way. I like jaggery to be melted completely in the water and then strained in the khajur tamarind pulp, so that no unwanted particles of the jaggery goes into the chutney. These small rock-like particles can ruin the smooth texture of the chutney. To give the chutney a little seasoned taste, I add a pinch of red chili, black salt, dry ginger, and cumin powder.

The chutney can be prepared and stored in an airtight container in the fridge which stays good for 15 days. This stored chutney can be eaten as a ready dip.

1 cup pitted dates

1/2 cup jaggery 

1/2 cup pitted tamarind

1 tsp each of red chilli powder, black salt, ginger powder, and cumin powder for seasoning.

1. Soak the dates and the tamarind in hot water for 1 hour.
2. After an hour, squeeze out the pulp. The dates will also become soft enough to be squeezed.
3. Pass the pulp through a sieve. Make sure you squeeze out all the goodies. Set this pulp aside.
4. In another pan, add 1 cup of water along with the jaggery and bring it to a boil.
5. Once the jaggery is melted completely, strain it well. 
6. Take the pan and add the jaggery water and dates & tamarind pulp into it. Stir well and keep it on low flame.
7. Add the seasonings to the pulp. The main flavour of the chutney comes from the dry ginger.
8. Once it starts boiling, the pulp will become thick. Boil this for 10-15 mins.
9. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool down completely.
10. Store this in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge at all times.

Straining the jaggery water is completely optional.