Bengali Tomato Khejur Chutney Date Tomato Sweet

Ingredients

• 4 large ripe tomatoes — roughly chopped
• 8 dried dates (khejur) — pitted and halved
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp panch phoron
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 dried red chilli
• salt

Method

1. Heat oil: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add panch phoron — all five seeds crackle. Add dried red chilli. Darken 10 seconds.
2. Add turmeric: Add turmeric. Stir 5 seconds.
3. Add tomatoes: Add roughly chopped tomatoes. Stir.
4. Cook until soft: Cook on medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes completely break down.
5. Mash: Use the back of a spoon to mash the tomatoes into the sauce as they cook.
6. Add dates: Add the pitted and halved dried dates. Stir.
7. Add sugar: Add sugar. Stir until dissolved.
8. Cook until thick: Cook on medium-low for 8 to 10 more minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until the chutney is thick and jam-like. The dates will soften and partially dissolve, adding sweetness and texture.
9. Add salt: Add a pinch of salt. The salt balances the sweet-sour character.
10. Cool and serve: The chutney is served at room temperature — never hot. It is served in a small bowl as a separate course before the sweets at a formal Bengali meal.
11. Note: The sweet chutney course at the end of a formal Bengali meal — served after the main courses and before the dessert — is a specifically Bengali and Odia tradition not found in other Indian regional cuisines. The sweet-sour chutney acts as a palate transition from the savoury meal to the sweet dessert. Tomato-date chutney (tomato khejur chutney) is one of the most commonly made versions — the dried dates (khejur) add both sweetness and a different texture from plain sugar. Served at all formal Bengali ceremonies and the Durga Puja bhog.