TAMARIND CHUTNEY
Every amazing Indian or East African snack or barbecue needs a favourite condiment and it is always the popular sweet, spicy and tangy tamarind chutney. I love dipping all my bhajias(lentil fritters), cassava fries, and samosas in this flavourful chutney. This chutney is also the main ingredient for chaats and my favourite “channa bateta” (chickpeas and potatoes in a tangy tamarind sauce-recipe on blog). A tamarind tree produces a pod like fruit that contains a brown edible pulp used in many cuisines around the world. This pulp is squished into a block and exported all over the world. The main exporters of tamarind are the Philippines, Thailand, India and Africa. You can either go and buy a ready made tamarind chutney which usually includes names of ingredients you can’t pronounce or make your own clean chutney from scratch. Like all other things, I would rather make this tangy chutney at home in bulk and fill up bottles and freeze them. When you buy a tamarind block in a grocery store (normally in the Asian/Indian aisle) the label will always says “seedless”, but I always find seeds in every pack. Through experience, I have learned to find seeds through sieving and squishing every bit of the pulp. The process is a little over an hour long, but very worth it in the end.
The tamarind pulp is usually packed into a block. Break up the block into chunks before soaking for faster results.
Soak the tamarind and add the pitted dates and soak for 20 minutes.
In a pot add another 3 cups of water and add the soaked dates and tamarind with the water and bring to a boil. Boil the tamarind and dates for about 15 minutes and let the mixture cool. Sieve the mixture through and use your hands to go through the pulp, looking for seeds and removing them.
After removing seeds, add tamarind pulp, soaked dates and tamarind water and blend the mixture into a thick tamarind water. This water is used in the chana bateta. I usually fill up jars with this and when ready to use add spices to make a chutney.
The spices and crushed tomatoes are added to make the tamarind chutney.
TAMARIND CHUTNEY
Serves: 20
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 90 minutes
INGREDIENTS
400 grams tamarind paste (block)
3-6 cups water
227 grams pitted dates
2 tbsp crushed tomatoes
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp cumin ground
1/2 tsp cayenne
INSTRUCTIONS
Break up the tamarind into small pieces with your hands and soak the tamarind in a bowl hot water (3 cups) for 10 minutes. Add the pitted dates and soak both for 10 minutes.
In a pot add another 3 cups of water and add the soaked dates and tamarind with the water and bring to a boil. Boil the tamarind and dates for about 15 minutes and let the mixture cool. Sieve the mixture through and use your hands to go through the pulp, looking for seeds and removing them.
After removing seeds, add tamarind pulp, soaked dates and tamarind water and blend the mixture into a thick tamarind water. This water is used in the chana bateta. I usually fill up jars with this and when ready to use add spices to make a chutney.
Add spices and crushed tomatoes and mix for a spicy and tangy chutney. You can add more or less cayenne according to your spice taste.
CHANNA BATETA (CHICKPEAS AND POTATOES IN A TANGY TAMARIND SAUCE)
One of my favourite snacks while growing up in Kampala, Uganda was channa bateta. This dish was very popular in East Africa and many of the Indians from Gujarat often served this flavourful and tangy dish at their homes when entertaining. One just can’t resist seconds and thirds. I remember my elementary school canteen selling this amazing chickpea stew at lunch time and it was always sold out. This was also a very popular dish sold outside by street vendors on a Friday night after prayers. We used to socialize with a bowl of channa bateta served with crumbled up cassava chips and tamarind chutney drizzled all over it. I have captured the recipe to be similar to what my taste buds can remember as a 9 year old. The chickpeas used in my recipe are the garbanzo beans and the original used in Kampala, are the desi chickpeas (smaller and brown skinned). Both are great!
CHANNA BATETA (CHICKPEAS AND POTATOES IN A TANGY TAMARIND SAUCE)
Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup oil ( I prefer sunflower)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 green chilli (your preference of heat)
6 large potatoes 3/4"cubed
2 tsp garlic minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp cayenne (optional-only if you want it spicy)
3 tbsp crushed tomatoes
1 cup tamarind water
3 cups boiling water
3 cups cooked chick peas
1 tbsp chana flour combined with 1/4 cup water (used as a thickener)
1 cup chopped cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium pot, heat oil on medium high and add cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, turmeric, curry leaves and split green chilli. Add potatoes as soon as the seeds pop, and saute about 2 minutes.
Add garlic paste, ground cumin, sea salt, cayenne (optional), crushed tomatoes. tamarind water and keep stirring to combine all the flavours. Add the boiling water, cover and let boil around 20 minutes till potatoes are almost done. Add chickpeas and boil for another 5 minutes till potatoes are soft and tender. Mix chana flour and water in a little bowl and add the paste slowly. This will thicken the chana bateta (you can add 1 more cup of boiling water if the mixture is too thick). Lastly, add the chopped cilantro.
To serve this amazing stew, just ladle into a bowl, add crumbled potato chips, or cassava chips or chewdo (a savoury East African mixture of rice flakes, nuts, fried lentils which is amazingly crunchy) and drizzle tamarind chutney all over. Enjoy!