Amuse-Bouche

Welcome to my blog! You are in for a tasty and intriguing ride chock full of healthy recipes, culinary trivia, Ayurvedic wisdom, personal anecdotes and humor. As you may have guessed from the title of this post, I am a classically trained chef (hence, the fancy French term). However, my passion for creating tasty semi-vegetarian fare and interest in Ayurveda (more to follow on this subject) infuse my cooking with a global flair prepared with care.

So here's a little palate-pleaser.

Tamarind-Date Chutney
Makes about 1/2 cup

½ teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
½ cup dates, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon tamarind concentrate*
1 cup water
1 teaspoon sucanat
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Heat small saucepan over medium heat. Add crushed cumin seeds and toast until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until reduced to the consistency of marmalade, about 35 - 40 minutes.

Allow to cool before serving. Serve chutney with pita, naan, papadams (crispy lentil wafers), dal, rice or whatever else you like!


The fruit of the tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica) consists of a brown pod - it is a legume! - containing a soft pulp surrounding hard-coated seeds. The edible pulp has a delightfully sweet & sour flavor. Tamarind is a key ingredient in many Thai, Philippine and Indian dishes (such as Pad Thai) as well as Mexican beverages, snacks and sweets. Most Asian grocery stores carry fresh tamarind but the concentrate is easier to use and can be found at specialty food shops and most Whole Foods Market locations.