Sweet and sour tamarind chutney (imli ki chutney)

This is a very simple, versatile and delicious Indian condiment. It is often served with samosas, pakoras or other fried snacks as well as dahi vada (lentil fritters in yoghurt) and chats. When I was growing up, my mum always had a jar in the fridge; while I don't always manage to do that, I make it as often as I can.

You will need the following:

220 gms of jaggery (this is unrefined sugar, similar in appearance to palm sugar and can be bought in all Indian grocers. If unavailable you can use brown sugar, though jaggery or gur as it is called in hindi should be the first preference.
100 gms of Tamarind (imli, which can be found in Indian and Asian grocers. Use the pulp, that comes in a block and not the concentrate)
1 inch piece of ginger
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of red chili powder
550 ml of water

In a saucepan, add the jaggery, tamarind and water and turn on the heat. Smash the ginger with the back of a knife and add it to the mixture. Bring to the boil, stirring often to ensure the jaggery dissolves in the water. Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat, add the powdered spices and simmer for 20-25 minutes. The chutney would have reduced to half by this point. Taste the chutney and adjust it to your preference. This combination of quantities works for me, but add more jaggery if you want it sweeter or tamarind if you prefer it sour. You can also add more water or reduce the chutney further to get the consistency you prefer. Sometimes, I also add dates which adds sweetness as well as a little texture. Allow to cool slightly and strain well through a metal sieve, making sure you get all the chutney and only a very dry pulp is left behind. As a kid, I would even polish off the pulp, only leaving behind the tamarind seeds, but you can discard it, or if you feel you have not been able to strain it well, reboil it with a little bit of water and strain again. The chutney will thicken as it cools. Store in a glass jar in the fridge. Will easily keep for a month if you don't find excuses to use it up sooner:)