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Home Β» Side Dishes & Snacks

How To Make Sonth Ki Chutney. Sweet Tamarind Ginger Chutney

Published: May 9, 2022 Β· Modified: Dec 26, 2022 by Chef Tripti Β· This post may contain affiliate links

Chutneys are an integral part of Indian food, providing many flavour options to accompany dishes and are usually freshly prepared with no preservatives. The word chutney derives from the Hindi "chatna", which means to lick. Chutneys are a burst of flavour and are undoubtedly lip-smacking! Many different types of chutneys exist. Chutney is often associated with fruit; however, its diversity goes far beyond this. Sonth ki chutney, or sweet tamarind chutney recipe with dry ginger and spices, is one of the most popular dipping sauces in Indian cuisine. It's tangy, full of flavour, and a must-have with samosas, chaat, and even sandwiches. It's straightforward to make, and the best part is if kept in a sterilised bottle, it can last over a year.

Sonth Ki Chutney pouring from a teaspoon held over a small jar of Sonth Ki Chutney

If you are keen to build up a range of sauces to have to hand, then try the following recipes:

  • Coriander and chilli chutney recipe
  • Wild garlic and green chilli sauce
  • Salsa Verde with foraged wild greens
  • Hawthorn bloody mary ketchup
  • Rose harissa

This chutney is a great addition to my broccoli fritters and pinwheel samosa.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions.
  • How-To Video
  • Substitutions
  • Variations
  • Equipment
  • Storage
  • Top tip
  • πŸ“– Recipe
  • Food Safety

Ingredients

Ingredients for south ki chutney in shallow glass dishes. Annotated.
  • Dried Tamarind
  • Dark muscovado sugar
  • Kala namak
  • Dry ginger powder (sonth)
  • Nigella seeds
  • Cumin seeds

See the recipe card for quantities.

Sonth is dry ginger powder. Pieces of ginger are dried in the sun for a week and then ground to a powder. Of course, you don't need to go to this trouble for this chutney recipe. You can find dried ginger powder in a shop.

Tamarind is a popular ingredient in Asian cuisine. It is the seed pod of the tamarind tree, and the pulp from the pod provides a sweet and sour flavour to a dish.

Instructions.

Sterilise the glass containers in which you intend to store the tamarind: Wash them in warm soapy water and then place them in the oven at 100ΒΊC for thirty minutes.

The tamarind will need to be soaked for a couple of minutes to soften it. Add it to a bowl, pour over 100ml of building water, and set aside.

Boiling water pouring into a glass bowl containing dried tamarind

Strain the tamarind liquid with a sieve and squeeze the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible.

Straining soaked tamarin through a small sieve into a glass bowl.

Place the pulp into the bowl again and add a further 100ml of boiling water. Mix well and pass through a sieve and again, squeeze out as much juice as possible.

Repeat this process two more times. Discard the pulp when complete.

A glass bowl containing strained juice of tamarind

Add the collected tamarind liquid to a pan and bring it to a rapid boil.

Add the sugar, mix, and turn the heat down to a simmer. Reduce the tamarind juice for about five minutes.

Add the kala namak and the dried ginger (sonth) and continue to simmer and reduce further until you achieve a syrup consistency.

Reduced tamarind syrup pouring off a large spoon into a saucepan containing tamarind syrup

Now add the spices. First, you need to bloom them so that they release their fragrance. In a small pan, heat the oil over high heat. Add the cumin seeds and the nigella seeds and cook until they pop and change colour - only about thirty seconds. Please be careful not to burn the seeds.

A small frying pan containing bloomed cumin seeds and nigella seeds

Remove from the heat and then add to the tamarind syrup. Mix well.

Transfer to the sterilised containers.

Sonth ki chutney in a small glass jar with a teaspoon.

How-To Video

Here is a video guide to making this Sonth ki chutney recipe.

Substitutions

The sweetener can be to your choice and availability. You can use palm sugar, jaggery, demerara or castor sugar instead of muscovado sugar. You may need to adjust the amount depending on what you plan to use.

Tamarind pulp can be used instead of dry tamarind; add a small amount of water. You will not need to boil it or simmer it for long as the tamarind pulp or paste is quite thick.

Variations

If you don't like the flavour of ginger, You can make this chutney without it. Then it will be imli or tamarind chutney instead.

Equipment

I always recommend a digital scale for measurements as it's 100% accurate.

Storage

Please make sure you sterilise the container before pouring the chutney into it. Using a clean spoon each time will help ensure that this chutney will keep in the fridge for about a year.

Top tip

When tempering the spices, have everything to hand because the process is rapid, and any delay may result in the spices burning.

πŸ“– Recipe

A small pot containing Sonth Ki Chutney.

Sweet Tamarind and Dry Ginger Chutney

Chef Tripti
Sonth ki chutney: Tamarind and dry ginger. A sweet and tangy chutney
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Indian
Servings 200 gms

Equipment

  • Digital scales
  • Measuring spoons

Ingredients
  

  • 60 gms Tamarind Dry
  • 400 ml Water
  • 60 gms Dark muscovado sugar
  • Β½ teaspoon Kala namak
  • ΒΌ teaspoon Nigella seeds
  • ΒΌ teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Dry ginger powder
  • 1 tsp Oil

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl add tamarind and pour over 100 ml of boiling water. Set aside for a couple of minutes to soften.
  • Strain the tamarind liquid and press the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible.
  • Put the tamarind pulp back into the bowl and add another 100 ml of hot water. Mix and again, pass through the sieve to separate the liquid, and squeeze the pulp to extract more liquid
    Repeat this process two more times using 100 ml of water each time. Then discard the remaining seeds and pulp.
  • Add the tamarind liquid into a pan and bring to a rapid boil.
  • Add the sugar and reduce to the heat to a simmer and allow the tamarind liquid to reduce for about five minutes.
  • Add the dry ginger powder and kala namak and continue to simmer and reduced to a syrup consistency.
  • Remove from heat and set aside.
  • In a small pan heat the oil over a high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and the nigella seeds. Once theY crackle and change colour (usually no longer than thirty seconds), remove from heat and add to the tamarind syrup. Mix well.
  • Transfer into sterilised bottles. The chutney is ready for use.
Keyword Chutney, Dipping sauce, Dry ginger powder, Sauces, simple, Sonth, Sweet and sour sauce, Tamarind
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Food Safety

In a professional kitchen, food hygiene and safety are top priorities, and from the beginning of my training, I practised good habits and routines. Here are some fundamental practices to adopt in the kitchen at home.

  • Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
  • Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
  • If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
  • Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 Β°F (74 Β°C).
  • Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
  • Store food correctly.

For more details regarding food hygiene and safety in the home, visit the UK Government's Food Standards Agency webpage.

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Blog author behind lavender plant
Chef Tripti

Hi! Tripti here. I am a Michelin-trained chef with over 20 years of experience in the industry. My mission is to help you cook fresh, nutritious food with simple recipes that deliver creativity and tasteβ€”food with heart and soul.

More about me β†’

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