Indian Tamarind Date Dressing
A sweet-tart, savory blended dressing built on tangy tamarind, caramel-like Medjool dates, toasted cumin and chaat masala. It's inspired by the sweet chutney served with Indian street snacks, but loosened with olive oil to coat salads, grain bowls and roasted vegetables.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Wait
- 20 min
- Total
- 38 min
- Makes
- About 1 cup (240 ml), 8 servings of 2 tablespoons each
Steps
Before you start
- Use seedless tamarind pulp or paste block, not the thick concentrate in a jar, which is far stronger and needs much less.
- Check Medjool dates for pits; remove any you find, even in 'pitted' dates.
- Chaat masala is salty and tangy, so taste before adding extra salt.
- Have a blender ready; a small high-speed or personal blender gives the smoothest result.
Toast the cumin
- Set a small dry skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add the cumin seeds and toast, shaking the pan often, for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Tip into a spice grinder or mortar and grind to a coarse powder.
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Ready when: Seeds darken slightly, smell nutty and fragrant, and begin to crackle.
Tip: Remove from the pan right away; cumin burns in seconds and turns bitter.
Soak tamarind and dates
- Place the tamarind pulp and chopped dates in a heatproof bowl or the saucepan.
- Pour in ½ cup (120 ml) boiling water.
- Press the tamarind with a spoon to start breaking it apart, then let sit 20 minutes.
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Ready when: Tamarind pieces crumble easily when pressed and the dates feel very soft.
Simmer briefly
- Set the saucepan over medium heat (if soaked in a bowl, transfer everything in).
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 5 minutes, stirring and mashing occasionally, to meld the flavors and fully soften the fruit.
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Ready when: Mixture looks like a thick, loose jam with no hard lumps of tamarind.
Tip: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water if it starts to stick or look dry.
Cool slightly
- Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes so it is warm, not steaming, before blending.
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Ready when: Pan is comfortable to touch on the side.
Tip: Blending hot liquid can push the lid off; never fill a blender more than half with hot contents.
Blend the base
- Scrape the tamarind mixture into the blender.
- Add the ground cumin, chaat masala, lemon juice, grated ginger, salt and the chili powder, if using.
- Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds.
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Ready when: Completely smooth, thick purée with no visible date skin flecks.
Emulsify with oil
- With the blender running on low, slowly stream in the olive oil through the lid opening.
- Increase to high for 15 seconds.
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Ready when: Dressing turns glossy, creamy and light brown with no oil pooling on top.
Tip: Adding oil slowly gives a stable emulsion that won't separate quickly.
Strain and adjust
- For a silky dressing, press through a fine-mesh sieve into a jar.
- Taste and adjust: add a pinch of salt for savoriness, a squeeze of lemon for brightness, or 1 to 2 tablespoons water to thin until it pours from a spoon in a ribbon.
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Ready when: Pourable but clings to the back of a spoon; balanced sweet, sour and salty.
Tip: The dressing thickens in the fridge, so make it slightly thinner than you want.
Good to know
Tips
- Toast the cumin whole and grind it fresh for much deeper flavor than pre-ground.
- If the dressing tastes flat, add salt or lemon in tiny amounts; if too sharp, add another half date.
- Use it as a salad dressing for chickpea or cucumber salads, drizzle over roasted sweet potatoes, or serve as a dip for samosas.
- Straining removes tamarind fibers, which can otherwise leave a slightly stringy texture.
Make ahead
"Make up to 5 days ahead and refrigerate in a sealed jar. Shake or whisk before using, thinning with a splash of warm water."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: airtight jar for up to 5 days. Freezer: up to 2 months in an ice cube tray, then bagged (1 cube is about 2 tablespoons). Thaw in the fridge or stir a cube into a little warm water; re-whisk to re-emulsify."
Substitutions
- seedless tamarind pulp → 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate. Concentrate is much stronger; mix with the water and add more to taste.
- Medjool dates → 2 tablespoons jaggery or maple syrup. Gives sweetness but a thinner body; reduce the water by 2 tablespoons.
- chaat masala → ½ teaspoon amchur plus ¼ teaspoon black salt. Approximates the tangy, sulfurous notes; adjust to taste.
- extra-virgin olive oil → neutral oil such as avocado. Gives a milder flavor so the spices stand out.