Kacha Tetuler Tok
A light, green-tamarind chutney
- Cooking time30 mins
Calories103kcal
Today's tetul'er tok (a light green-tamarind chutney) recipe comes from Aditi Bhowmik (Lopa kakima), who is my mother's neighbour and good friend. It is elegant and austere.
Unripe tamarind, which is in season between October and January, has a subtle, earthy flavour that is overpowered if one is not careful. This is why her version does away with a lot of ingredients that are common in similar Bengali recipes. For example, it uses neutral refined oil instead of mustard oil. Mustard oil is too pungent for this recipe. It uses sweeter fennel seeds instead of mustard to flavour the chutney. No dried red chillies either—another common fixture along with mustard seeds in similar recipes. The end result is a light chutney that lets the key ingredient, the highly seasonal green tamarind, really shine.
Tamarind is known around the world as a key South Asian ingredient. It is used in chutneys, dals, fish, meat, etc., as a flavourful souring agent. Most people, however, only know this fruit in its ripe, brown fudgy form. But in its unripe state, tamarind has a beautiful, fresh, earthy flavour, and none of the sweetness of ripe tamarind.
The onset of autumn in Bengali culture is often marked by the use of kacha tetul/unripe tamarind in uniquely seasonal dishes. We've made a video about one such dish—garur dal—in the past. Today's dish is a "tok" (pronouced "tawk"), which is a very watery sweet-and-sour chutney. It is so thin that it is usually served cold in a bowl and sipped. If you are unfamiliar with Bengali food culture, a chutney in Bengali cuisine is not condiment. It is a course of its own. Chutney or tok is served at the end of savoury courses, and right before dessert. Chutneys are both sweet and savoury—so they are the perfect transitional course.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ingredients
- 240 g kacha tetul (green tamarind)
- 450 ml water
- 6 g salt
- 10 g vegetable oil
- 1 tsp mouri (fennel seeds)
- 220 g sugar
Method
- Wash the green tamarind, and set it to boil with salt and water, about 8 mins.
- Fish the tamarind out and allow it to cool a little. Don't discard the water; we'll need it later.
- Mash the boiled tamarind to extract the pulp. Discard as much of the fibre, skin and seeds as you can.
- Heat vegetable oil in a kadai. Temper with fennel seeds.
- Add the pulp along with the water that was used to boil it. Add sugar.
- This is an extremely light, almost drinkable chutney. Once it has come to a boil and the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat, and transfer it to your dish or container while still runny.
