Mum’s Easy Sweet and Spicy Tomato Chutney (Bengali)

You can whip up this easy, sweet and spicy Bengali style tomato chutney recipe (often referred to as Khejur / Khajoor chutney), in a matter of 30 minutes. It pairs perfectly with rice, roti, naan and any curry.

This is a part of my seven-part series where I show you the under-appreciated south-asian gems of my mother’s Indian and Bengali kitchen, if you’d like to see more, be sure to check out my Instagram and tik tok video.

This is a special occasion tomato chutney in Bengali house-holds, but despite that, it is surprisingly quick and simple to put together.

There is no blending required in this recipe, nor do you need to chop up any onions and if you would prefer to make things simpler you could also use canned chopped tomatoes instead!

It is also so versatile, you can literally pair it with pretty much any rice, naan or roti. My mother sometimes has it as a dessert with rice. Personally, I think that the combination of my bengali lamb chops curry and this chutney, is absolutely elite. It would also pair well with my Bengali chicken curry too!

This recipe requires no sugar (but you can add it if you would like) and instead relies on the dates, sultanas (or raisins), tamarind and honey for a tangy sweetness.

My favourite thing to do is to, is to pair it with my lamb chop curry and rice. The spiced decadence of the curry gravy is balanced out so well by the sweetness of the chutney.

What is Tomato Chutney and what can I use it with?

Chutney is a dip or spread usually associated with originating from South Asia. Tomato chutney, is a tomato variation of the spread / dip.

You can use tomato chutney for a fancy cheese and wine night or to have on the side of your breads and / or rice with curry.

Tomato Chutney Ingredients?

• Four medium-sized tomatoes or a can of chopped tomatoes.
• One to three Indian dried chillis (adjust based on your preference, if you like it hot, stick to three!)
• Teaspoon of mustard seeds
• Handful of rasins or sultanas
• Teaspoon of turmeric and chilli powder
• Four dates
• A teaspoon of tamarind paste
• Half of a teaspoon of salt to taste
• Cashews, almonds or coconut to garnish
• Teaspoon of honey (or more if you would like extra sweet)

How do I store tomato chutney?

Store in an air-tight container or jar for up to three to five days. Alternatively, you can freeze for up to two months.

How to cook tomato chutney?

1. Chop up around three to four medium sized tomatoes.
2. Chop up your dates into long thin pieces.
3. Roughly chop up your cashew nuts.
4. In a saucepan, heat up some oil (olive oil or vegetable oil). While its still on a relatively low heat, add your mustard seeds and dried chilli’s and wait for those to start popping and for the dried chilli to have browned a little bit.
5. Add in all of your tomatoes, give that a good stir with the mustard seeds and dried chilli’s. After combined add in turmeric, chilli powder and a little bit of salt to taste.
6. Give it another stir, cover and cook on a medium heat for around 10 minutes.
7. Lift the lid off of your saucepan, get your fork or masher and mash the tomatoes, but not too much you still want a little bit of texture.
8. Next, add your chopped dates, handful of raisins (or sultanas), tamarind, teaspoon of honey and a little splash of water. Give that a good stir.
9. Cover again on a low heat for another 10 minutes, let it rest for 10 minutes after it has finished cooking.
10. Garnish with your chopped cashews, almonds or coconuts.