Sweet-sour glossy temple chutney of soft dates and ripe tomatoes simmered with jaggery, tamarind, panch phoron, and roasted cumin-fennel powder.
Lunch · 10 min prep · 15 min cook · serves 4 Newly added
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates , soft dried dates, pitted and roughly chopped; khajur
- 2 tomato , ripe country tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tamarind , dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 tbsp jaggery , grated
- 1/2 tsp bhaja jeera saunf gunda , freshly roasted and ground cumin and fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp ghee , pure cow ghee
- 1/2 tsp panch phoron , equal parts cumin, fennel, fenugreek, mustard, kalonji
- 1 dry red chili , halved
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Preparation
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Heat the ghee in a saucepan over medium flame.
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Add the panch phoron seeds and dried red chili; fry until the seeds crackle and release their fragrance.
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Add the chopped tomatoes and salt; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until soft and pulpy.
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Add the chopped soft dates, tamarind liquid, grated jaggery, and 1/2 cup of water.
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Simmer over medium-low flame for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the dates soften, integrate with the tomatoes, and form a glossy, thick jam.
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Sprinkle the freshly ground bhaja jeera saunf gunda over the surface.
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Remove from the heat, cover with a lid, and let cool to room temperature before serving.
In the tradition
Khatta (sweet-and-sour relish) is served toward the conclusion of the Jagannath Puri Mahaprasad feast. Simmering dried dates with country tomatoes, tamarind, and local jaggery produces a complex fruit relish that stokes digestive fire (agni) and clears the palate after grain and legume courses.
Sources & further reading
- Jagannath Temple Mahaprasad Canon, Puri (Rosaghara Chutney and Khatta Archive)
Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern books are shared as further reading, not as prescriptions.