A single look at some of the recipes, and you know you have got to make them! I tried ignoring the ‘call’ of this Shahi Imli Sonth for a long time, but when I started dreaming about the sweet and sour flavor, I gave up my resistance and succumbed to the call.

Sweet, sour and slightly spicy, this tamarind chutney tastes absolutely fantastic on its own, with chats, yogurt or with chapatis. You can add an endless variety of seeds, dry fruits and nuts to this.

 Ingredients:

Tamarind Pulp                                         : 1 cup
Jaggery/(Brown) sugar                            : 1 cup **
Chili Powder                                              : 1/2 tsp or per taste
Cumin/Fennel Powder                          : 1/2 tsp (optional)
Asafoetida                                                  : a pinch (optional)
Dry friuts, Nuts or Seeds                      : 3-5 tbsp, per taste
Salt/Black salt                                           : to taste

**You can substitute sugar for jaggery, but the taste and the texture is better with jaggery

Method:

1. Dilute 2 tbsp thick tamarind paste with one cup of water or extract juice from a big lemon sized ball of fresh tamarind to get one cup of pulp.
2. Soak the dry fruits or nuts, if using. The dry fruit must be skinned. Raisins, almonds and dates are the best. Seed options include sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.
3. Heat the tamarind extract and the jaggery/ sugar till it melts. Add chili powder, asafoetida, cumin powder and salt along with the nuts, seeds and fruits.
4. Check the seasonings and adjust. Cook for some more time till the nuts are cooked and the mixture becomes slightly thick. Done!