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This chutney takes a bit of work to make. It doesn't take any cooking to make it other than heating the water to get the pulp from the tamarind. Most of the work is in getting the tamarind pulp separated from the fiber.

You start with one package of tamarind which is 8.8 ounces. Open the package and break the tamarind brick up into pieces and put them into a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 cups of water and put it in the microwave for about 4 or 5 minutes. Then let it sit for a while and soften. Use a fork to mash the tamarind up. Work on it until it turns into a thick liquid.

Use a metal strainer and a spoon over another bowl to get the pulp. Keep working the solids back and forth and scraping the strainer with the spoon and get as much pulp as you can. If it gets difficult you can put everything back into the first bowl and add a bit more water. The pulp will go through the strainer easier if the liquid is thinner.

I couldn't find any roasted cumin seed powder at the Indian grocery so I just made it myself. I dry roasted the cumin seeds and then used my mortar and pestle to grind them into a powder. The roasting certainly brings out the flavor of the cumin. 

Once you have the tamarind pulp the rest is easy. You just mix in the sugar slowly and then mix in the other ingredients. You can add more water as required to get the desired thickness. For a dip you can leave it thicker, for a sauce add more water to make it thinner.

The most interesting ingredient in this chutney is the black salt. It is a salt with certain impurities in it that contain sulfur. You will notice the strong sulfurous odor it has when you add it in.

Let the chutney sit for a while before you serve it. This recipe makes quite a bit of chutney, maybe a few pints. You can keep the stuff in the refrigerator or freeze it for later.

Here are the ingredients:

1/2 lb (actually 8.8 oz) tamarind, seeded
2 cups of water plus more if needed
2-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 Tablespoons roasted ground cumin seeds
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black salt
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder