Trinidad Tamarind Sweet Sauce of Chutney

A delicious sauce made using tangy tamarind which is sweetened with brown sugar and flavoured with local spices.

Tamarind chutney is a local condiment eaten with so many different appetizers in Trinidad, but also with our famous Trinidad Doubles. It’s made with the tamarind fruit after you have removed the skin. Depending on how tangy your tamarind fruit or flesh is, then you may have to add more sugar or salt when you are making this sauce. It’s super easy to make and tastes really great with Trinidad phulorie, saheena, Accra and even samosas.

You can make it a little spicy by adding some hot peppers to the mix, but it’s up to you. If you want a well balanced sweet and spicy sauce then the pepper is excellent to add.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup peeled tamarind

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground geera/cumin

1/4 teaspoon anchar masala

3-5 leaves of bhandania/chadon beni, finely chopped

Hot pepper such as scotch bonnet (optional)

Method

Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved, lower heat to medium, and simmer for 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.