Tamarind Chutney

We use 2 teaspoon of fennel seeds, but some people may find that too strong. You may want to start with 1 teaspoon the first time you make this.

To toast the fennel seeds, place them into a small fry pan over medium heat. Stir regularly and toast the seeds for a minute or two until the seeds start to release their aroma.

Remove the seeds from the pan and let cool. Place the seeds into a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind into a fine powder.

*It is important to have good tamarind purée for this recipe.

To make your own, (highly recommend), see the attached drill-down on "What is Tamarind".

Roughly chop the dates and jaggery. Add both to the tamarind purée. *Jaggery is also known as palm sugar. If you don't have any, simply substitute with brown sugar.

Next, add the raisins, along with the toasted fennel powder.

Heat the oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cover the pot. Shake until the seeds begin to pop. Add the seeds to the tamarind mixture and stir to combine.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer.

Meanwhile, slice the chilies down the middle, but keep them whole. Add them to the pot, along with the Kashmir powder. *Kashmir is simply Indian chili powder.

Let the chutney simmer for about 45 minutes or until it has thickened.

Let cool and then refrigerate. Note: The chutney will continue to thicken as it cools.