Glossy sweet and sour North Indian temple syrup of reduced tamarind and jaggery spiced with pungent dry ginger powder and black salt.
Snack · 10 min prep · 15 min cook · serves 6 Newly added
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tamarind , thick pulp extract
- 1 cup jaggery , grated
- 1 tbsp sonth (dry ginger) , saunth
- 1 tsp cumin powder , roasted
- 1/2 tsp black salt , kala namak
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
- 1 cup water
Preparation
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In a heavy saucepan, combine the tamarind extract, grated jaggery, and 1 cup of water.
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Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously until the jaggery dissolves completely.
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Pass the hot syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a clean saucepan to eliminate any fibrous cane or tamarind residues.
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Return the strained syrup to medium-low flame.
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Whisk in the dry ginger powder (saunth), roasted cumin powder, black salt, red chili powder, and hing.
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Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chutney thickens and coats the back of a metal spoon.
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Remove from the flame and let cool completely (the sauce will thicken further as it cools).
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Transfer to a sterile glass jar; store at room temperature for up to a month or refrigerated for several months.
In the tradition
Saunth Ki Meethi Chutney is the hallmark condiment of North Indian festive cooking, particularly across the temples of Vrindavan and Mathura. It utilizes sun-dried ginger root powder (saunth)—which carries warming, pungent properties without the moisture of fresh ginger—blended with local cane jaggery and sour tamarind to aid digestion when eating rich, deep-fried offerings.
Sources & further reading
- Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking , Yamuna Devi (Page 404, Sweet Tamarind Chutney with Dry Ginger)
Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern books are shared as further reading, not as prescriptions.