Khajur ambli chutney (Gujarati date-tamarind chutney)

Name: Khajur ambli chutney (Gujarati date-tamarind chutney)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 150 g dates, pitted and roughly chopped; 50 g tamarind, seedless block, torn into pieces; 450 ml water, hot; 80 g jaggery / palm sugar, grated; 3 g kashmiri chilli powder; 3 g ground cumin; 2 g black salt (kala namak); 3 g salt

Vegetarian

ખજૂર આમલીની ચટણી · khajūr āmlīnī caṭṇī

A thick, dark, mostly-date chutney sharpened with tamarind and seasoned simply with red chilli, roasted cumin and black salt. Sweeter and fruitier than North Indian saunth, with no dry ginger.

Khajur ambli chutney (Gujarati date-tamarind chutney) is a Gujarati condiment from India, ready in about 1 hour and made with dates and tamarind. It serves 16 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Rest: 30 min
Total: 1 h
Serves: 16
Level: Easy
Calories: 54

Ingredients

16 servings (about 25 g)

150 g Dates (opens in a new tab), pitted and roughly chopped
50 g Tamarind (opens in a new tab), seedless block, torn into pieces
450 ml Water (opens in a new tab), hot
80 g Jaggery / palm sugar (opens in a new tab), gratedSwap: Brown sugar
3 g Kashmiri chilli powder (opens in a new tab)
3 g Ground cumin (opens in a new tab)Dry-roasted cumin.
2 g Black salt (kala namak) (opens in a new tab)
3 g Salt (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Soak the dates (opens in a new tab) and tamarind (opens in a new tab) in the hot water for 30 minutes, until both are soft.
- 30 min
2
Step 2
Tip everything into a saucepan (opens in a new tab) and simmer over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, mashing with a spoon, until the dates (opens in a new tab) break down completely.
- 10 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
- Wooden spoon (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels
3
Step 3
Cool slightly, blend until smooth, then press through a sieve with the back of a spoon; scrape the purée from the underside and discard the fibres and any tamarind (opens in a new tab) seeds.
4
Step 4
Return the purée to the pan with the jaggery, chilli, cumin, black salt (opens in a new tab) and salt. Simmer gently, stirring, until the jaggery dissolves and the chutney thickly coats a spoon, about 6–8 minutes.
- 8 min
- medium-low heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
- Wooden spoon (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Thick date purée bubbles and spits; stir with a long spoon.
5
Step 5
Cool completely; it thickens further. For pani puri, thin a portion with water to a pouring consistency; for dabeli or dhokla keep it thick.
- 2 min
- Glass jar with lid (opens in a new tab)

About this dish

Origin: Gujarat, India · Commonly attributedKept separate from saunth-chutney because the Gujarati version is built mainly on dates (roughly three parts dates to one part tamarind), sweetened further with jaggery, and seasoned without dry ginger or fennel. Used across Gujarat and Mumbai street food.More food from India
Dish: Snack · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Sauces
Cooking method: Simmered, Blended
Taste: sweet & sour, fruity, sweet, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Street food
Cook more with: Dates · Tamarind · Jaggery / palm sugar · Kashmiri chilli powder · Ground cumin · Black salt (kala namak)
Techniques: Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

54 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 26 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

Protein 2%
Carbohydrate 96%
Fat 2%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	54 kcal	204 kcal
Protein	0.3 g	1.2 g
Carbohydrate	14.1 g	53.6 g
Net carbohydrate	13.2 g	50.3 g
Sugars	12.3 g	46.9 g
Added sugars	4.9 g	18.5 g
Fibre	0.9 g	3.3 g
Fat	0.1 g	0.4 g
Saturated fat	—	—
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	—	—
Sodium	124 mg	474 mg
Salt equivalent	0.3 g	1.2 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 99 mg
Calcium: 18 mg
Iron: 0.4 mg
Magnesium: 10 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 5 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): 2 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
Kashmiri chilli powder: Paprika (FDC 171329) used as a stand-in: Kashmiri chilli is a mild, deep-red chilli powder used mainly for colour.
Black salt (kala namak): Table salt (FDC 173468) used as a stand-in; kala namak is mostly sodium chloride with sulphur compounds that give its eggy aroma.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Soft Indian khajur or Medjool dates both work; hard dried dates need longer soaking.
Freeze in an ice-cube tray and thaw cubes as needed.

Common mistakes

Skipping the sieve: date skins and tamarind fibres make it gritty.
Adding dry ginger or garam masala, which turns it into a North Indian saunth.

Serve with

Spoon over dabeli, sev puri, bhel puri, pani puri, dahi vada and samosa; serve with khaman dhokla and kachori.
Pair with lili chutney for the classic Gujarati green-and-brown chutney plate.

Food safety

Store in a scrupulously clean, completely dry jar and always use a dry spoon; moisture is what spoils dry chutneys and pickles.

Storage

Refrigerate in a clean jar for up to 3 weeks, or freeze in portions for up to 3 months.

Variations

Dabeli chutney: Keep it very thick and add 2–3 crushed garlic cloves and extra chilli for spreading inside dabeli buns.
No-cook khajur ambli: Soak overnight, blend and sieve without cooking; it keeps only 4–5 days in the fridge.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 2 Nov 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Dates, pitted and roughly chopped150 g
Tamarind, seedless block, torn into pieces50 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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