Take a frying pan and heat it on a low flame on your gas stove. When it is hot enough, put 1 tbsp of oil in it. Once the oil is hot, put 1 tsp of cumin seeds in it. When the cumin seeds stop crackling, put 1 tsp of white sesame seeds in it. Then add 1 tbsp of split chickpeas (chana dal), 1 piece of sliced fresh ginger of about 1-inch size, 3 pieces of fresh green chilies, and broken in half, to the ingredients in the pan. Stir everything continuously for about 2 to 3 minutes to sauté the ingredients on a medium flame and until the dal turns golden in color. (Pro tip: You can use any oil you prefer. You can increase or decrease the number of green chilies according to your preference).

When it is done, add ½ cup of almonds to the pan. Stir the almonds with other ingredients for about 5 to 6 minutes until the color of the almonds changes and they become crunchy. Turn the flame off and let the ingredients cool down completely at room temperature.

When the ingredients are cool enough, take a clean grinder and transfer them from the frying pan to the grinder. Now add 2 tsp of tamarind water to the content in the grinder.

Add a little bit of water to it.

Grind it once to get a rough paste. Use a spatula to scrape the paste sticking to the sides of the grinder. (Pro tip: At this point, you need not grind it to a fine paste. You will have to grind it a couple of more times which will eventually give you a fine paste).

Add some more water.

Mix it nicely and grind it for a second time.

Now, add 1 tsp of regular table salt to the paste in the grinder.

Grind it for the third time, and this time make sure you grind it to a fine paste.

Mix it nicely, and check the consistency. The paste should be thick and not watery. Transfer it to a bowl from the grinder. (Pro tip: If you find that the paste is too thick, add some more water and grind it a couple of more times in short intervals).

Now, for tempering, take a tadka pan and heat it on medium flame on your gas stove. When the pan is hot, put 1 tbsp of oil in it. Once the oil is hot, add 1 tsp of mustard seeds in it. Wait for the mustard seeds to crackle. When they do, put 2 to 3 fresh curry leaves in it. (Pro tip: Be careful of the oil sprinkling while the mustard seeds crackle).

When these are cooked nicely, pour the content from the tadka pan into the bowl containing the chutney paste. Mix it carefully and your tasty, homemade almond chutney is ready to be consumed with a variety of dishes.