I've just made some date and tamarind chutney. It smells amazing, however it's very thick and quite salty. There is no salt in the recipe so it must be the tamarind paste I used. Can I thin it down somehow without it going off, eg: lemon juice, water, something else?

akl439 - 2019-08-17 16:34:00

I'm puzzled, there's normally very little salt in tamarind paste. I would add vinegar, a bit at a time, keep and keep taste testing it.

westward1 - 2019-08-17 16:50:00

Probably it will need diluting, maybe vinegar, or water, You would have to re boil it, I would say just to be on the safe side....what do others think?

rainrain1 - 2019-08-17 16:51:00

I'd be inclined to add a mild vinegar (apple cider...), some brown sugar, and some water to get the salinity down, then reboil and bottle again. Adding some more dates might help, too.... (even a couple of over-ripe bananas, to help thicken - I always have some in the freezer for smoothies and cakes...)

Edited by autumnwinds at 5:26 pm, Sat 17 Aug

autumnwinds - 2019-08-17 17:25:00

Thanks for your help people. I've actually added a cup of boiling water and it has thinned it down to the right consistency. Still a bit salty but I'll add less tamarind puree next time.

akl439 - 2019-08-18 11:10:00

Thin it down with water when you use it instead of thinning the whole lot now.

taurus2005 - 2019-08-26 14:49:00

I make tamarind chutney all the time. Add a bit more water to thin it down, taste then add a bit more sugar if needed. Make sure you bring back to a boil. You can also add a bit more dates. That should hopefully help balance the saltiness. If you make it next time, use blocks to tamarind rather than ready made paste. Soak the block in water. Once soft mash with your hand then squeeze out the pulp.

Edited by marcs at 6:34 pm, Mon 26 Aug

marcs - 2019-08-26 18:33:00