This green imli chutney is a tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce made with tamarind, fresh herbs, and a hint of spice, ready in 10 minutes. Use as a sauce or spread!
This Green Imli Chutney is an explosion of flavors. It is tangy, spicy, refreshing with just enough sweet to balance it all.
Pakistani and Indian appetizers and snacks feel incomplete without a sauce or chutney on the side. These chutneys are always the best way to balance out the heat, or spice in an appetizer. Or it can be a way to amp up a simple dish like this Chana Chaat.
This Green Imli Chutney is a perfect combination of spicy, tangy, and sweet flavors all in one.
This chutney is great to be used as a dipping sauce, a spread, or as a mix-in for Chaat dishes.
This green Imli chutney pairs well with appetizers like Potato chops or Keema Paratha. It can also be served with grilled meats like Seekh Kabab or Tandoori Chicken.
As a spread for this Bun Kabab. And of course, it is a perfect chutney for chaat dishes like Chana Chaat.
If you prefer a sweeter chutney, this Date and Tamarind Chutney will tickle your taste buds!
Ingredients for Green Imli Chutney
Imli chutney is known to be spicy and tangy, yet refreshing with just a sweet.
- Tamarind – Tamarind adds a sweet and sour taste to this chutney. It typically comes in large concentrated blocks at Asian grocery stores or on Amazon.
- Cilantro & Mint – a generous helping of fresh herbs provides a refreshing flavor to this chutney
- Garlic – fresh garlic adds the best flavor to this recipe
- Chili – either fresh green chili, red chili powder, or even whole dried chilis will work for this recipe.
- Cumin – freshly roasted whole cumin seeds are highly recommended
- Sugar – a little bit of sugar adds just a touch of sweetness this chutney needs
- Black Salt or Chaat Masala – Black Salt or Chaat masala adds to the savory umami-like flavor.
Recipe and Method
Step #1: Prepare the Tamarind Pulp
Add 1 /2 cup of tamarind pulp in 1 cup of hot water and blitz in a blender for 10-15 seconds. Strain with a fine-mesh sieve to remove any seeds and fibers.
Step #2: Prepare the Fresh Herbs
For this recipe, we’re using a generous helping of mint and cilantro. This is probably the most time-consuming part of this recipe.
It is best to use cilantro and mint that is as fresh as possible. There are only a few ingredients in this chutney, so the freshness of the herbs will really come through.
Thoroughly clean the herbs and dry on a paper towel.
Roughly chop the cilantro. You can use the stalks for cilantro, just make sure to throw away any roots that are attached.
For the mint, remove the leaves from the stalk.
We use about 1 cup of each herb for this recipe.
Step #3: Blitz in a blender
Return the tamarind pulp to the blender.
Then add in the rest of the ingredients:
- cleaned herbs
- peeled garlic cloves
- roasted cumin seeds
- red chili powder or green chilies
- sugar
- chaat masala or black salt
Blitz all the ingredients until smooth. If you find that the mixture is too thick, add a couple of tablespoons of water.
Once smooth, taste it and adjust the sugar and chili to your preferences.
How to store Green Imli Chutney?
The sauce can be stored in an air-tight bottle for 7-10 days, or in the freezer for longer.
Mom’s Pro- Tip: Store the Chutney in cubes in the freezer!
If you want to freeze the chutney, add it to an ice cube tray to freeze solid for a few hours. After it is frozen solid, remove Imli chutney cubes from the tray and store them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer, for a couple of months.
How to use Green Imli Chutney?
Imli Chutney is a widely used sauce. You’ll find so many uses for it once you have it on hand!
A popular way to use Imli Chutney is in chaat recipes. Or it can also be a dipping sauce for lots of appetizers and main dishes.
Here are some ideas to help you use up your newly made stash of imli chutney!
Imli Chutney for Chaat
This Imli and Khajur Chutney can be used in any chaat dish. Some popular chaat dishes are:
- Bhel puri – a crunchy snack of puffed rice, vegetables this tangy Imli chutney.
- Dahi puri – crunchy mini puris topped with yogurt, vegetables, and sauces like this imli chutney.
- Chana Chaat – a snack that is a chickpea salad made with chickpeas, vegetables, and then seasoned with this Imli Chutney!
Imli Chutney as a Dipping Sauce or Spread
This Imli Chutney is a great dipping sauce. We love to serve it with lots of appetizers or as an accompaniment to grilled meats and kababs! Some of our favorites are:
- Shami Kabab or these Karachi street-style Bun kabab Sandwiches
- Beef Cutlets
- Seekh Kababs
- Tandoori Chicken
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Ready to make Green Imli Chutney?
Green Tamarind Chutney
Ingredients
- ½- ¾ cup Imli pulp
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds, roasted Note 1
- 2 cloves Garlic, peeled
- 1 cup Cilantro
- 1 cup Mint leaves fresh
- 1-2 Green chillies or 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- ¼- ½ teaspoon Black Salt or chaat masala
Instructions
- Prepare Tamarind Pulp (if using a block of tamarind): Add 1 /2 cup of tamarind pulp in 1 cup of hot water and blitz in a blender for 10-15 seconds. Strain with a fine mesh sieve to remove any seeds and fibres.
- Prep and clean the cilantro stalks and mint leaves.
- Return the tamarind pulp to the blender. Add in the rest of the ingredients, and blend until smooth. Adjust the sugar and chili to taste.
Notes
- Cumin seeds can be roasted in the microwave. Add to a small bowl and microwave for 20-30 seconds. Allow them to cool completely before using.