Delicious! I substituted onion powder for the asafoetida, and everyone still thought it was as tasty as any they'd had in a restaurant.

Wow, this was the best tamarind chutney ever!! Though not as easy as cilantro chutney, it's well worth it. I used olive oil instead of canola (it's what I had), and I made sure to heat the spices in the oil for long enough to really smell all of those spices. If you add the water too soon, you'll lose some of the flavor. I used onion powder in place of the asofe...(spice I can't even spell). Like some of the other reviews mentioned, I couldn't get the sauce thick enough without a little cornstarch. I actually simmered it for about an hour to reduce it, but still ended up adding a little cornstarch (teaspoon dissolved in hot water?), which made it a perfect consistency. Seriously, you can't buy stuff this good.

i had to add some cornstarch at the end because it wouldn't thicken, maybe i put in too much water, but the end result was great. thanks!

This recipe was pretty good... I did add about a tablespoon of cornstarch and water since it didn't thicken for me at all after the 20-30 min. When cooled it was just the consistency of the tamarind chutney at the restaurants. I also added one star anise, broken up, an ingredient I saw in another tamarind recipe and I thought it enhanced the flavor. I added it at the end with the cornstarch after taste testing and thinking it needed something extra. Overall a great tamarind chutney.

DO NOT heat your oil over medium- go a little lower. I can't describe exactly what happened when the spices hit the oil, but I can tell you that it felt like my lungs had collapsed. My kids literally ran screaming from the kitchen and I finished cooking with a dish towel over my nose and mouth. I really think the heat is too high on this because I made something similar later on at a lower temp and didn't have anything like this happen. I'm still giving this four stars though because this is the best tamarind chutney I've ever tasted. If you don't have access to tamarind paste (I'm talking to you, my fellow rural Iowans!) then you can make a delicious substitute using 1 tablespoon each of dried, chopped apricots, dates and prunes. Pour boiling water on them and let them soak for fifteen minutes and then drain and puree them with one tablespoon lemon juice.

Not bad, but not great. Did not thicken after one hour, still, like others, had to add one tablespoon of cornstarch.

This recipe was very good. We really liked the sweet and spicy. It did not thicken very well and next time I will use a bit of cornstarch too but the flavor was great. I'll definitely be making it again.

We did not care for this recipe. It was way too sweet and way too spicy. It did not thicken. The worst was the flavor though...not at all authentic to any Indian foods and flavors we have eaten. All we could taste was sugar and cayenne.