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Cooking Notes
Deb
For tamarind sauce:Heat ½ - 1 tsp ground cumin in the bottom of a dry pan until fragrant, about 30 seconds, Add ¼ cup each tamarind paste, date syrup/maple syrup, juice of ½ lime and a pinch of salt. Simmer over low heat until heated though.
M Shah
How do you make tamarind sauce from tamarind paste? Is it as simple as soaking some of the paste in hot water and blending?
SH in SC
I LOVED this! The cilantro chutney would be great for all kinds of other recipes. My changes: beans are not my friend, so I cooked skinless, boneless chicken thighs in a crock pot with a masala simmer sauce from Trader Joe’s until it easy easily shredded. I had no time to go get tamarind sauce, so made a combo of the maple syrup & some sweet chutney. No cumin seeds, so I used ground cumin in ghee. I look forward to making it with tamarind sauce, but this is definitely a keeper. So much flavor!
DallasLaura
Amazing! A flavor sensation! I added pickled jalapenos because I can't make nachos without them.I had never used date syrup for tamarind sauce, but found some at the Indian market. This was by far the best tamarind sauce I've ever made: Heat 1/2 - 1 tsp ground cumin in the bottom of a dry pan until fragrant, 30 sec., add 1/4 C ea. tamarind paste and date syrup, juice of 1/2 lime and a pinch of black salt. Simmer over a low heat until heated though.These are the best nachos EVER!
TLexi
It was good, but maybe too good. We ate too much and felt sick afterward. If you make it, have more than two people or control yourself.
Avani
If the tamarind sauce is a reference to "mithi chutney" used in Indian chaat dishes (likely given the green chutney), then its made of dates and tamarind + spices. That is work and those ingredients may not be everyday ingredients that some may want to purchase for a single dish. An easy substitute would be apple sauce + lemon juice + cumin powder + red chili powder + salt + water to thin to desired consistency. Most Indians who eat mithi chutney regularly cannot tell the difference in taste.
By the sea
SH in SC + all: It's easy to make friends with beans with the help of kombu, a seaweed that mediates the hard-to-digest sugars in beans responsible for the toot factor. Eden brand canned beans are cooked with kombu before canning, or you can get packaged squares of kombu (I like Pacific brand) from Amazon or Whole Foods. You rinse off a square and pop it into your slow cooker or bean pot for the duration of cooking; it first gets a bit slimy and then cooks down and disappears into the recipe.
Laura
Made using papadums instead of tortilla chips!!
Willow K
These were the BEST nachos I’ve ever had. You think you’re nachoed out and then this comes along. We had no black beans, so we cut up boneless chicken thighs and pan fried them first in chilli powder and cumin. Accidentally put chutney and tamarind sauce on each layer before baking, so they were a bit soggy (which I kinda dig anyways), next time one giant layer and sauce on after. It’s true about the chhonk! Don’t miss it! These will definitely happen at our next gathering, thank you NYT.
Betsy B
I’ve made these nachos three times and they are always a hit, especially with the teenagers. 4 cups of cheese made it too greasy. I’ve used half the cheese and prefer it that way.
Kate
Replace the black beans with channa masala and enjoy an even more amazing nacho. Love it. It was an experiment after having leftovers from take-out, but now I just order an extra side to make this with. Also, the scoop-shape chips work exceptionally well-- a sort of pani puri.
John
Pomegranate molasses is an excellent substitute for the tamarind sauce!
Nancy
Do it just like that. Forget yogurt; go straight to sour cream. Forget it being an appetizer; eat it for dinner. Really.
Dom
Just made these at the cottage! SO good. Someone even said “best nachos ever.” We did the maple syrup variation on the tamarind sauce and it was the perfect hit of sweet with the tart chutney and spiced chhonk. Recipe is perfect as-is and easy to follow. Thank you!
Ellen R.
A hit at neighborhood potluck. I thought the cilantro chutney would be too spicy for kids but they didn’t notice. The recipe makes a huge quantity of the chutney; however. We barely used half of it. I couldn’t find tamarind sauce or date syrup so I used date nectar. It was watery. I think maple syrup would have been a better alternative.
Cristina
The nachos were tasty, but that amount of ghee was overkill and we all felt a bit queasy after because it was so rich. Next time I would reduce it and also the sweet sauce, to keep it a bit more savory.
MH
Unbelievably good. I used pickled red onions instead of raw and cut the cheese by half (and they were still super cheesy!). Devoured by all at the table, including a toddler.
Mar
Please DO NOT use maple syrup and lime juice for tamarind chutney substitute! It would be like pouring maple syrup over your nachos. Too strong maple taste and not right consistency The lengths I went to salvage mine was way more involved. My tamarind paste wasn't delivered in time so I had to improvise. I've found best flavors to come from pureed prunes(thanks to having toddlers) & dates. Play around with additional spices, salt, ingredients to get the right flavor.
Hilary
So delicious. But make sure to oil the foil. My nachos were completely stuck to the foil.
Tiny
Sauteed red onion, then added shredded, grilled chicken breast, garam masala and water to moisten. Two layers of: low-sodium tortilla chips, sharp cheddar, chicken mixture, chopped tomatoes, red onion, black beans, corn kernels. Baked @ 375 for 20 min. Served with the cilantro chutney (take it very easy on the lime), homemade tamarind chutney and Greek yogurt. Absolutely amazing.
Michelle
Make the tamarind sauce according to the suggestions in the comments (don’t use the concentrate straight from the store). Use 2 cans of black beans and only half the red onion.
Tani
This is my second time making this. I would cut back the cilantro chutney by half. The rest of this is wonderful.
Brushjl
Just icky, I love nachos and love Indian cuisine, but not together.
D
delicious.....make sure your nachos are cooked crisp, or the lovely sauce, can make a few chips, softer.
Santosh
These were amazing! The chutney, tamirind, chonk, and yogurt combo on top are a delight!! Thank you Krishnas!!
unewsuzy
Truly different, or as my husband said odd. It did not keep us from eating it. There was just a lot of cognitive dissonance Nachos vs indian food. We followed the directions as written and enjoyed the tamarind sauce and the cilantro chutney contrasts. As another reviewer said this makes a lot, you really need 6 - 8 people to serve it to.
CJ
Absolutely outstanding. I thought the cilantro chutney was going to be too spicy because I added a really hot pepper and when I tasted it I thought oh *#*#Not even sure what it was but it was green thin pepper in an unmarked bin at whole foods. But when it was mixed with the tamarind and toppings it wasn't over powering at all. I'm excited to make this for everyone I know. For now my husband and I polished off the entire sheet pan and I'm not sorry haha
Landry
Didn’t have red onion, so I heated the tamarind sauce and tossed/simmered sliced white onion in it for a few minutes. A revelation!
Lindsay
Maybe the best thing I’ve ever tasted. No substitutions, no amendments.
Dee Dee
Made these for a family get together - they were a HUGE hit. Made as specified except no onion.
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