Date Chutney Recipes

TAMARIND - DATE CHUTNEY ( SWEET INDIAN CHUTNEY)

Steps:

• Place the jaggery, dates and water in a deep boiling pan for about 2 hours.
• After the dates become smooth, blend in a mixer till smooth.
• Strain and transfer to the pan again.
• Add the tamarind paste and seasoning.
• Boil till thick enough to coat the back of a spoon thinly.
• Cool again. Store in clean airtight bottles and refrigerate.
• Shelf life of about a month in the refrigerator.
• * Here, I have used tamarind paste. But in case you do not have tamarind, soak the tamarind in water and extract its paste.
• What I usually do is use dry tamarind powder which I get from Indian grocery stores.

DATE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown at edges, 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and cook, stirring, until beginning to pop, 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 6 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

SAMOSAS WITH TAMARIND-DATE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• For the pastry: Add the flour, salt and nigella or ajwain seeds to a medium bowl and mix. Add the ghee or oil and mix in with your fingers until the dough looks crumbly. Begin by adding 3 tablespoons of cold water, then add more water a little a time to make a stiff dough. Try to knead the dough as little as possible (think flaky pie crust). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• For the spice blend: To roast the spices, heat a small cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the whole spices: coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, clove, cardamom and cinnamon and roast, shaking the skillet often, until the mixture darkens slightly and becomes toasty and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a small bowl to cool. Add the amchur powder, red chile powder and turmeric. Once cool, transfer to a grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a medium-fine grind.
• For the filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let sizzle until they darken slightly, about 30 seconds Add the peanuts if using and cook until crunchy, about 2 minutes. Add the chiles and ginger and cook, stirring often, until the raw aroma of the ginger goes away, about 1 minute.
• Add the potatoes, peas, roasted spice blend and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook until the peas soften and the mixture is well mixed and seasoned, about 3 minutes. Add the cilantro if using. Add salt to taste, amchur for additional tang and red chile powder for spice.
• To assemble and fry the samosas: Pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven or wide heavy-bottomed pot to come up the sides about 3 inches. Place over medium heat and heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil registers 340 degrees F.
• While the oil is heating, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball (a kitchen scale is helpful here but not necessary). For smaller samosas, you can divide the dough into 8 balls. Cover all but 1 ball with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Flatten the uncovered ball into an oval patty. Lightly brush with oil and roll the patty into a thin oval (8 to 9 inches long and 5 to 6 inches wide). Cut in half widthwise into 2 semicircles.
• Set a small bowl of water beside you. Working with one semicircle at a time, fold over one end of the straight edge halfway toward the rounded edge. Using a fingertip, lightly wet the outside edge with a little water as well as the inner edge of the other half of the straight side. Then fold the other half up and overlapping the wet sides, about 1/4 inch, to form a cone. Press the edges together to form a seal. Hold the cone in one hand, pinch the seam again to make sure it's sealed and fill it with 2 tablespoons of the potato filling. Make a little pleat opposite of the sealed edge by pinching it over about 1/4 inch. This is the backbone of the samosa and will help it stand. Wet the inside of the rounded edge and fold it over the filling to enclose it. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat with a second dough ball and some of the filling to make 4 samosas.
• Double-check that the oil temperature is 340 degrees F (it's important for the oil to be medium hot; if it's too hot, the outside of the samosas will brown too quickly, while the inside dough will not be cooked enough and the samosas won't crisp up). Gently slip in the 4 samosas and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. If the samosas haven't browned by then, increase the temperature to 360 degrees F and cook, turning over as needed, until golden brown. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
• While the samosas are frying, shape and fill 4 more samosas, then repeat until all the samosas are shaped, filled and fried. Serve immediately with Tamarind-Date Chutney.
• Stir together the seedless tamarind, date paste, jaggery, cumin powder, red chile powder, ginger powder, fennel powder, black salt, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium low so the sauce is simmering. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes; when you dip a spoon into the sauce and run your finger across the back of it, it should hold a line. Taste and add more salt or jaggery if needed. Remove from the heat and strain. Allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight glass jar and refrigerate.

RHUBARB & DATE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Put the onions in a large pan with the ginger and vinegar. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the rhubarb, plus 2 tsp salt to the pan and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer, uncovered, for about 10 mins until the apples are tender.
• Stir in the rhubarb and cook, uncovered, until the chutney is thick and jammy, about 15-20 mins. Leave the chutney to sit for about 10-15 mins, then spoon into warm, clean jars, and seal. Label the jars when cool. Keep for at least a month before eating.

TAMARIND - DATE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Place the sugar, dates and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for about 7-8 minutes, until the dates are very soft.
• Stir in the tamarind.
• Very carefully, pour the ingredients into a blender, clamp the lid down tight and blend until smooth (or blend in the pot with an immersion/stick blender).
• Return the mixture to the pot and boil until thick enough to thinly coat the back of a spoon (the chutney will thicken more as it cools).
• Stir in the spices and salt.
• Taste for seasoning: the chutney should be equal parts sweet, salty and sour.
• Add more tamarind, sugar or salt if any of these needs a boost.
• Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

CILANTRO-DATE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Place cumin in a small skillet and set over medium-high heat. Toast for 2 to 3 minutes, or until seeds just begin to change color and emit a faint aroma. Immediately dump seeds into a spice grinder or mortar, and grind to a powder.
• Place dates, lime juice, jalapeños, ginger, garlic, salt and cumin into the bowl of a food processor and pulse, stopping periodically to scrape the sides with a rubber spatula as needed. Try to get this mixture as uniformly puréed as possible, though a little texture is fine.
• Add the cilantro and continue to pulse to break it down. Then, add as little water as possible - about a tablespoon - to get the blades moving and turn the mixture into the sauce. Continue scraping the sides and pulsing until no large bits of stem or leaf remain and the sauce is a lovely, almost-but-not-quite-smooth texture. Taste, and add lime juice and salt as needed. Cover and refrigerate until serving. This sauce will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.

RHUBARB & DATE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat.
• Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the chutney has a jam-like consistency and there is no excess liquid on the surface.
• Stir from time to time to prevent sticking.
• Spoon into hot sterilized jars and seal down.
• Label and store for 6-8 weeks before use.

APPLE-DATE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, ginger, cardamom and salt, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in apples, dates, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce to a vigorous simmer, and cook, partially covered, until apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.