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You can't do without this Imli ki Chutney or Date Tamarind Chutney if you love Chaats. This Khatti Meethi Imli chutney is sour, sweet & a bit spicy at the same time. You can cut back the cooking time more than 50% by making this Imli Chutney in Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Don't miss the Video & the stove top method.

Khajoor Imli ki chutney in a spoon on top of jar — Tamarind Dates Chutney - Sweet and Sour

Recipe Video

Tamarind Date Chutney

Date Tamarind Chutney made in an Instant Pot is super addictive!

You can't stop eating this Imli ki chutney even after you are done with the chaat or pani puri.

It's sour, sweet, has a lovely aroma from the spices & a mild kick from the chilies.

An extraordinary balance of flavors and a unified taste is what makes this Khatti Meethi imli ki Chutney a powerful combination for all the famous Indian street foods.

This Khajur Imli ki Chutney has a smooth, semi-thick texture & a pourable consistency.

Drizzle it generously over Dahi Vadas & chats.

Use it as a dipping sauce to dunk your samosas.

Top the mouthwatering Pani puris with this Khajur Imli ki chutney, mix in with Bhel Puri and you can't stop relishing each dish.

I have a very bad habit of scooping out spoonful from the jar & relishing it for a long time 😀

I made today's Date Tamarind chutney recipe in an Instant Pot to save some serious cooking time & to skip the baby sitting part totally.

This sweet imli ki chutney is in fact one of the best condiments served with Indian street food & you'll enjoy making it as much as we do.

Because Imli Chutney in Instant Pot is super easy & delicious to the core 😉

Meethi Imli ki chutney in a glass jar — Khatti Meethi Imli Ki Chutney

What is Imli Ki Chutney?

Imli Chutney also known as Date Tamarind Chutney or Khajur Imli ki Chutney is a delicious Indian style condiment or sauce prepared with Dates, Tamarind, Jaggery & a few spices.

It's sour & sweet and therefore, also known as Khatti Meethi Imli ki Chutney.

This Tamarind Chutney is widely used as an accompaniment for Indian street foods and no Chaat recipe is complete without this Imli Chutney.

Dates in Hindi = Khajur

Tamarind in Hindi = Imli.

Hence, Date and Tamarind Chutney = Kajur Imli ki Chutney

Pro Tip: Imli ki Chutney is also known by other names such as Date Tamarind Chutney, Khajur Imli ki Chutney, Saunth, Sweet Tamarind Chutney, Tamarind Chutney, Tamarind Date Chutney. The recipe may or may not contain Dates. Sometimes the jaggery is replaced with sugar.

Imli ki chatni recipe smooth borwn color in a jar — Tamarind Chutney made with dates & jaggery

Khajur Imli Ki Chutney Ingredients

Tamarind or Imli: You can get Tamarind or Imli in every Indian grocery stores in the form of a slab. You can use both varieties - seedless & with seeds. Seedless varieties are recommended because in that case you don't have to fish out the tamarind seeds before blending the chutney.
Jaggery: You can use any variety of sweet jaggery. Avoid the salty varieties.
Dates: I will always vote for Mejdool dates. They are expensive and rare so if you have difficulty spotting them or if you are on a budget use any variety. Look for extra ripe and softer varieties.
Spices: Asafoetida or Hing, ginger powder, black salt, regular salt, cumin powder, fennel seeds or saunf & garam masala powder.
Whole Kashmiri Red Chilies: Adds a slight kick and gives a gorgeous color to the sweet imli ki chutney.
Ghee: Just to crackle the Asafoetida or hing.

Pro Tip: For a lip smacking sweet Tamarind Chutney do not skip adding any ingredient and use the exact proportions mentioned on the recipe card.

Khatti meethi tamarind chutney for samosa in a jar with a spoon — Imli Chutney for Chaats

6 Tips to make the best Date Tamarind Chutney

This Tamarind Date Chutney is lip smacking good.

It's so good that you might finish off an entire batch pretty quickly 😛

Follow these tips to make it even better than the street food joints.

Cook the tamarind & the dates very well: This is so important for the perfect texture & consistency. Cook the dates until they become absolutely tender & when pressed they should immediately mush up.
Don't skip crackling the Asafoetida or Hing: For an immediate & extraordinary boost in flavors crackle the asafoetida in ghee for few seconds. You can't miss that mild hing kick, it's irresistibly good and also aids in digestion.
You need dates for Khatti Mitthi Imli ki chutney: The tartness from the tamarind & the sweetness from the jaggery are tied together beautifully with the use of dates. Don't skip them if you truly want that tartness, sweetness & that smooth creamy texture. Dates mellows down the piquant taste of the tamarind.
The spices are very important: Do not skip adding any. I experimented with various combinations and proportions. But, today's recipe is a winner in every way. Perfect taste, gorgeous color, beautiful texture & incredible shelf life. Who doesn't love a perfect combo?
Grind & grind more: After pressure cooking the Imli chutney do not forget to blend it into a fine paste. Blending the Sweet imli chutney will make it super smooth & creamy.
Strain the blended chutney: Don't skip this step ever even if you use seedless tamarind. Straining the cooked & blended sauce will bring out the tamarind rinds and the chili seeds too. And make the Imli chutney extremely smooth & silky. It will literally glide off the spoon.

Tamarind dates chutney for chaar in a glass jar with lid — Tamarind Dates Chutney a famous Indian Condiment for street foods

How long can you store Imli Chutney?

You can store Imli Chutney for 1 month in the fridge if you make it into a pourable consistency.

You can also make it thicker resembling a paste like consistency, mix in some citric acid and store it for 3-4 months in the fridge.

Pro Tip: If you decide to store it as a concentrate, mix in some water & when ready to serve, whisk and drizzle it over chaat.

What to eat with Tamarind Chutney?

Tamarind Chutney is a sweet & sour Indian Tamarind Sauce that goes very well with the street foods.

In fact the Chaat recipes ( a popular street food in India) is incomplete with a generous drizzle of Imli Chutney.

You can serve Tamarind Chutney with the following:

Ragda Pattice
Bhel Puri
Aloo Tikki Chaat
Samosa Chaat
Papdi Chaat
Pani Puri
Dahi Vada
Kachori Chaat
Aloo Chole Chaat
Chur Mur Chaat
Aloo Chaat
Dahi Puri

Sweet tamarind chutney in a jar with a nameplate — Sweet Tamarind Chutney that tastes lip smacking GOOD!

How to thicken Imli ki Chutney?

You can thicken Imli ki Chutney by simmering it over medium low heat stirring frequently.

Dates also helps to thicken Imli ki Chutney naturally.

We don't love to thicken it with corn flour slurry as it leaves a gooey texture.

What does Tamarind Sauce or Tamarind chutney taste like?

It tastes sweet & sour with a mild chili kick. You can also taste the mild asafoetida flavor and all the spice powders in it.

Tamarind sauce Indian style is super addictive and today's recipe of Imli Chutney is lip smacking good.

How long can you store Imli Chutney?

You can store Imli Chutney for 1 month in the fridge. And if you make it thick like a paste you can store it for 3-4 months in the fridge.

You can even freeze it for 6 months. Make the chutney thicker to increase it's shelf life..

How to preserve Imli ki Chutney?

If you want to preserve Kahtti Meethi Imli ki Chutney for a long time add less water and thicken the chutney until it resembles a thick paste like consistency.

Thick Imli chutney concentrate will last for 3-4 months in the fridge.

You can also add some citric acid to the thick chutney and keep it in the fridge. Citric acid increases the shelf life of Khajur Imli ki Chutney. It's not mandatory to use it but if you have it handy you may use it.

If you want to preserve Imli Chutney beyond the 3-4 months mark than freeze the chutney and store it in the freezer. It will stay good for 6 long months.

Pro Tip: Accidentally if you add more water to the Tamarind chutney just simmer it until it thickens. Today's recipe of Date Tamarind Chutney is made more like a pourable consistency so it will only last you for 1 month in the fridge.

Indian imli chutney recipe for chaat made in Instant Pot — Instant Pot Dates and Tamarind Chutney cooked in just 12 mins

Can you freeze Imli Chutney or Sweet Tamarind Chutney?

Yes you can freeze Imli chutney for 6 months if you follow the below steps:

Make the Chutney thick more like a paste. Not today's recipe.
Always store it in dry air tight freezer safe containers for long shelf life. Any contact with moisture will spoil it.
You may also freeze it in an ice cube tray. Later take out the chutney cubes and store them in a freezer safe bag. Pop the cubes and use. It's very convenient to use it this way.

Pro Tip: Thaw the required amount of chutney from the freezer safe container and immediately freeze the rest.

How to make Tamarind Dates Chutney in Instant Pot? Step by Step

Steps in words below pictures

Instant Pot Tamarind chutney scooped out from a jar — Tamarind Dates Chutney that's made in an Instant Pot

How to make Tamarind Dates Chutney?

Add Ghee
Set the Instant Pot on SAUTE & keep it at NORMAL. Add ghee and allow it to become moderately hot.
Crackle the Asafoetida (hing)
When the ghee become moderately hot throw in the asafoetida & allow it to sizzle for a few seconds.
Add the Chilies
Throw in the chilies and saute for 1 min.
Pour water
Add water to the pot and mix well.
Add all the other ingredients
Throw in all other ingredients to the pot like the tamarind, jaggery and all the spices. Mix well. Cancel the SAUTE mode.
Pressure Cook
Close the lid of the pot and press the PRESSURE COOK button and set it on HIGH for 12 mins. After 12 mins do a QPR (quick pressure release). Allow the mixture to come down to room temperature.
Blend & Strain the Imli Chutney
Blend the cooked chutney to a smooth paste in a blender and than strain it using a strainer. Store the strained Imli ki chutney in a clean, dry air tight glass jar.