Tamarind Chutney is one of the most simplistic yet delicious dips that you will come across. This chutney is a delicacy in India but quite underrated in western countries. It is extremely popular to pair with street food like Chaats, Samosas , Paani-Puri, Papdi chaat and more. Give this sweet, tangy dip a try and I bet it will become a household favorite for all.
What is Tamarind Chutney?
Random @ beextravegant fact: Did you know that Tamarind originated in Madagascar but was discovered by the Arabs? The Arab traders called it Tamar-al-Hindi which roughly translates to the dates of India? I had no idea too until I started to research more about where my ingredients are coming from.
This chutney is nothing but a dip made with soaked tamarind, brown sugar, salt, and spices. It can go with all kinds of dishes! A sweet and sour sauce, Imli Chutney is commonly used in many dishes in India. Street Food in India is quite a big thing and you can find a Chaat Wala or street food vendor selling Bhelpuri, Aloo Puri, or even hot samosas with a side of Tamarind dip. It’s a simple dip, easy to prep, and requires little to no effort.
How to make Tamarind Chutney?
It doesn’t take too much prep time and comes together quite easily. The secret is soaking the tamarind well and the use of Kala Namak or black salt that gives a smokey flavor. The combination of brown sugar and Kala Namak pairs really well and allows the flavour of the tamarind to stand out. Let’s dive right into the recipe!
- Start by soaking the seedless tamarind in water overnight or for 5 hours in a bowl. Once the tamarind has soaked up the water, you can begin to squeeze the pulp out.
An easier method would be to soak it in boiling hot water for up to an hour and then begin the pulping process.
Pour the soaked tamarind into a sieve and squeeze the pulp from the tamarind with your hands. Like I always say – don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
- Add water to help pass the pulp through the sieve, until you have squeezed out most of the pulp you have only the fibres of the tamarind fruit left. Squeeze out as much pulp as possible. You should have a fairly thick and smooth tamarind pulp. Set this aside.
- To this, add brown sugar, ginger powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and black salt. Mix well with a whisk until everything is well combined.
- Store the chutney in an air-tight dry jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Serve with Indian chaat and other snacks.
Tamarind Chutney is now ready to be served on the side with snacks or chaat. Do try this recipe out and let me know how you like it.
Comment down below if you have any questions, feedback, or doubts – I will be happy to help.
Check out my other recipes on Indian Dips:
- Vegan Raita
- Mint Corriander Chutney
- Spicy Red Kaara Chutney
Tamarind Chutney – Sweet and Sour Imli Dip
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 1/2 block or 1/2 cup seedless Tamarind
- 1/2 cup Brown sugar tamarind to sugar ratio should be 1:1
- 1/2 – 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 3/4 tsp Ginger powder or saunth
- 1/2 tsp Black salt or kala namak
- 3/4 tsp Roasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 2 cup water adjust according to requirement
Instructions
- Soak tamarind in room temperature water overnight or for 4 to 5 hours in a bowl. For quick results soak it in hot water for an hour.
- Pour this into a sieve over a larger bowl and squeeze the pulp from the tamarind with your hands.
- Add more water to help pass the pulp through the sieve, until you have squeezed out most of the pulp and you have only the fibers of the tamarind fruit left.
- You should have a fairly thick and smooth tamarind pulp. Set this aside.
- To this, add brown sugar, ginger powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and black salt.
- Mix well with a whisk until everything is well combined.
- Store the tamarind chutney in an air-tight dry jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
- Serve with Indian chaat and other snacks.
Nutrition
This vegan pal payasam is a delicious, no-nonsense creamy rice and milk pudding. It is commonly made in South India, particularly in Kerala for the festival of Onam. Since rice is the staple grain in south India, it has several great recipes for salty as well as sweet. This payasam (also called kheer in Hindi) is going to be your favorite rice pudding from now on. It uses very simple and minimal ingredients but tastes so rich and decadent.
More about Pal Payasam
In India, a rice pudding has several names. the ones I’m familiar with are kheer (hindi) and payasam (malayalam and Tamil). Pal payasam literally translates to milk (paal) pudding of sorts (payasam). It is often written as Paal Payasam or referred or Rice Payasam or chawal ki kheer (kheer made of rice).
This vegan Pal Payasam is really the easiest Indian dessert that you can make. It literally involves only 4-5 ingredients – rice, soy milk, sugar, nuts, and dried fruit, flavored with cardamom– cooked down to a thick and creamy pudding of bliss.
Ingredients and extra additions for Vegan Rice Pudding
The name of this dish literally starts with milk. And my answer to dairy-based milk is always soy milk. It has a very similar nutrition profile with the perfect combination of fat and protein required to cook this payasam down and get that creamy rich consistency you get from regular milk. And no, it doesn’t taste any different but has the added benefit of containing no cholesterol and a happy cow. Win-win? 😉
When it comes to rice, the most traditional rice used in Kerala for pal payasam is Chemba pachari which isn’t something I find here in France. So I used Ponni rice. You can use any kind of short-grained white rice for this recipe. You may also sub with basmati rice which is what they use in North India for Kheer.
I use vegan ghee which is more common in the markets nowadays than before. But you can also just use deodorized coconut oil , avocado oil , or any other neutral oil to fry the nuts and dried fruit in.
Of course you can make this dessert as fancy as you want with additions like:
- Saffron strands
- Sliced almonds
- Chopped pistachios
- Rose water
- Ground nutmeg
How to make Vegan Pal Payasam
Basically, Rice Payasam is made with the slow cooking method. Simmering the Vegan Pal Payasam for a long time helps in developing complex flavors that make up for the simple ingredients.
- Start by washing the rice, covering it with water, and setting it aside.
- In a wide deep bottomed heavy pan pour in the water and the soy milk and bring to a slow boil.
- Once it comes to a boil add in the drained rice to the pan and let it cook on a medium flame.
- The milk mixture will slowly evaporate and reduce in volume by half after the 30-minute mark. After 1 hour and 10 minutes, the mixture would have acquired an off-white color and turned thick in consistency.
Now, Add in the sugar and ground cardamom seeds and mix well. Let it boil for 2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the flame and set it aside.
- In a smaller pan, heat vegan ghee and add in the cashews and raisins. Fry on low flame until the nuts are slightly golden and then pour it on to the vegan pal payasam. Serve warm or cold.
I hope you make this for a special occasion or as a lovely treat for yourself! Do tag me on Instagram or comment down below if you do!
Try other delicious Indian desserts from the blog:
- Vegan Pear Halwa
- Vegan Gulab Jamun
- Vegan Kulfi – Indian Ice Cream
- Healthy Vegan Laddoos
- Vegan Ela Ada | The Best Healthy South Indian Dessert
Vegan Pal Payasam
Ingredients1x2x3x
For the base of the payasam
- 2 cups Soy milk (480 g)
- 3 cups Water (720 g) Milk to water ratio 2:3 by volume
- 1/4 cup Raw Rice (47 g)
- 1/3 cup Sugar (67 g)
- 4-5 Cardamom pods shelled and powdered fine
Tempering with nuts and dried fruit
- 2 tsp Vegan ghee sub with avocado oil, deodorized coconut oil or any other nuetral oil
- 8-10 cashew nuts halved
- 8-10 raisins
Instructions
- Wash the rice, cover with water and set aside.
- In a wide deep bottomed heavy pan pour in the water and the soy milk and bring to a slow boil.
- Once it comes to a boil add in the drained rice to the pan and let it cook on a medium flame.
- The milk mixture will slowly evaporate and reduce in volume by half after the 30 minute mark. After 1 hour and 10 minutes, the mixture would have acquired an off white colour and turned thick in consistency. At this point you can add 1/4 cup more soy milk to loosen it up if its too thick for you.
- Add in the sugar and ground cardamom seeds and mix well. Let it boil for 2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved in. Turn off the flame and set aside.
- Heat vegan ghee and oil in a pan and add in the cashews and raisins. Fry on low flame until the nuts are slightly golden and then pour it on to the vegan pal payasam.
- Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!
Notes
- This vegan pal payasam can be stored in the refrigerator (in an air-tight container) for up to a week and enjoyed throughout the week.
- When cooled down, the payasam gets thicker. So make sure to cater to that when boiling down the payasam to your desired thickness.
Nutrition
I bring to you a simple, homemade soy yogurt recipe using very few ingredients but packed with essential nutrients. This homemade soy yogurt is made with just 2 ingredients and the end result is delicious, lactose-free, dairy-free, and animal cruelty-free.
How often have you looked at a box of vegan yogurt and thought to yourself – “Hmmm. I need some inexpensive ways of consuming vegan yogurt.”
Packaged vegan options for yogurt will surely rip a hole in your pocket considering how much I consume it on a daily basis. I bet some of you have actively been looking for easy and inexpensive ways of making yogurt at home. So, don’t you worry, @ beeextravegant has your back? I’m here with a Soy based yogurt recipe that is creamy, delicious and so versatile that you can use it to make smoothies, curries, Chaas, and in marinades. You can use this recipe for making other plant-based yogurts as well. This soy yogurt recipe is extremely no-nonsense and requires very little effort. This is the perfect preservative- and additive-free option for those who want to keep their soy purchases extremely cost-efficient.
Ending the Curd vs Yoghurt argument
The only difference between curd and yogurt is that curd contains Lactic acid known as Lactobacillus whereas yogurt uses a commercial fermentation bacteria Streptococcus Thermophilus along with lactobacillus. Essentially, two bacterias together break down and ferment the milk into yogurt. Otherwise, there is no real difference. Depending on your strain and the temperature in your city, you can alter the thickness and consistency of yogurt.
Also, it’s important to keep in mind that yogurt needs a good healthy starter to begin the bacterial fermentation process. There are multiple ways to get a yogurt starter. I’ll explain the options in detail. Let’s first understand why we are looking at making soy yogurt first.
Why Soy Yogurt?
If I have to start naming the benefits, this blog will go on and on. So, I am going to summarize it in a few bullet points.
- Soy milk is easily available in stores. It’s the perfect alt milk if you want to be more plant-based. Soy is extremely healthy and nutritious to consume in smoothies, and pre and post-workout drinks.
- Soy has many health benefits and anti-oxidant-promoting properties.
- If you’re a beginner at vegan yogurts, soy milk is the best to start with. There is no hassle in making yogurt and it tastes just as delicious as dairy-based yogurt.
Vegan Yogurt: Type of yogurt starters
There are a few ways that you can get a yogurt starter.
- First is to mix a teaspoon of non-dairy yogurt like soy yogurt in warm soy milk, and let it ferment for 6 – 8 hours. The consistency of the curd also plays a role. If the curd is over-fermented and has turned sour, so will your new batch. So, make sure that the starter used is fresh and not acidic.
- Store-bought yogurt starters have the strain Streptococcus thermophiles and Lactobacillus Bulgaricus. Check the packaging for the above-mentioned strain of bacteria.
How to make Soy Yogurt: Step-by-step instructions
I will be showing you two ways of making soy yogurt – one method is the yogurt maker method and the second is the oven method.
Yogurt-maker Method
- Drop a spoonful of thick yogurt into a bowl. Pour 500 ml of room-temperature soy milk into the bowl
- Mix well using a spoon and keep the container in the yogurt maker. Leave it in for up to 5 to 10 hours. This number of hours allows good bacteria to flourish.
- Please make sure to leave it alone, undisturbed, for 12-15 hours.
Oven method
- Sterilize the glass jars by boiling them in hot water. Remove from the hot water, and clean them dry until squeaky clean.
- Add a spoonful of thick yogurt or starter into the jar. Pour room-temperature soy milk into the jar.
- After pouring the soy milk into the jar, mix well and keep it in an oven that’s at 45C. Make sure to turn the oven off but keep the oven light on.
- Keep the jar of yogurt without moving it for about 12 hours. Once it has thickened, store it in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Pro-tip
- Do not over-ferment the yogurt, as it turns sour. Acidic yogurt is difficult to consume directly. If it has turned slightly acidic, that’s good.
- You can use it in marinades, and smoothies with fewer citrus fruits or use it as a base to make curries.
- If you live in colder regions and are using the oven to ferment the soy milk, then preheat the oven for 10 minutes and place the jar inside once the oven is warm.
- The oven should not be hot in any case. Overheating will kill the bacteria and the fermentation will not take place.
- Yogurt starter to soy milk ratio should be 1 tbsp: 500 ml of soy milk. Be careful when making in bulk, use enough starter to get the right consistency.
Recipes where you can make use of this delicious creamy soy yogurt:
- Chaas or buttermilk
- Vegan Raita and Aloo Paratha
- Mint Corriander Chutney with Soy Yoghurt
Homemade Soy Yogurt
Equipment
- 1 Yoghurt Maker
- 1 Glass jar sterilized
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 500 ml Plant based milk – Soy Yogurt
- 1 tbsp Yogurt Starter
Instructions
Yoghurt-maker Method
- Drop a spoonful of thick yogurt into a bowl. Pour 500 ml of room-temperature soy milk into the bowl
- Mix well using a spoon and keep it in the yogurt maker.
- Leave it in for up to 22 hours. This time is enough which allows the good bacteria to flourish.
- Leave undisturbed for a good amount of time.
Oven Method
- Bring the oven up to 45C or 113F.
- Sanitize the glass jars by boiling them in hot water. Add a spoonful of thick yogurt into the jar.
- Pour room temperature soy milk into the jar.
- After pouring the soy milk into the jar and place it in an oven. Turn off then oven.
- Yogurt should be left undisturbed overnight. Once it’s thickened, the soy yogurt is ready to use.
Nutrition
Tamarind Chutney - Sweet and Sour Imli Dip
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 1/2 block or 1/2 cup seedless Tamarind
- 1/2 cup Brown sugar tamarind to sugar ratio should be 1:1
- 1/2 - 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 3/4 tsp Ginger powder or saunth
- 1/2 tsp Black salt or kala namak
- 3/4 tsp Roasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 2 cup water adjust according to requirement
Instructions
- Soak tamarind in room temperature water overnight or for 4 to 5 hours in a bowl. For quick results soak it in hot water for an hour.
- Pour this into a sieve over a larger bowl and squeeze the pulp from the tamarind with your hands.
- Add more water to help pass the pulp through the sieve, until you have squeezed out most of the pulp and you have only the fibers of the tamarind fruit left.
- You should have a fairly thick and smooth tamarind pulp. Set this aside.
- To this, add brown sugar, ginger powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and black salt.
- Mix well with a whisk until everything is well combined.
- Store the tamarind chutney in an air-tight dry jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
- Serve with Indian chaat and other snacks.
