BUILD YOUR OWN CHUTNEY:
 SPIKE THAT MEAL!
CHUTNEY’S ON
THE UPSWING 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find suggestions for  compatible ingredients-- vegetables, fruits and spice, also agents for tartness, sweetness and heat below.

  

CHOOSE FROM THESE FRUITS AND  VEGETABLES

Apples
Banana
Beetroot
Black current
Blueberries
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cilantro
Coconut
Cranberries
Dates
Garlic
Green Beans
Lime
Lychee
Mango
Mint
Onion
Papaya
Peanut
Plums
Prunes
Radish
Raisins
Rutabaga
Strawberries
Tamarind
Tomato
Zucchini

CHOOSE FROM
THESE FOR
TARTNESS

Vinegars (many varieties to choose from)
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Other juices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


CHOOSE FROM
THESE SPICES

Cardamom
Celery seed
Cinnamon
Cloves
Coriander seeds 
Cumin
Currie Powder
Fennel Seed
Fenugreek
Mace 
Nutmeg
Pickling spice
Star
Anise
Tumeric

CHOOSE FOR
HEAT

Dried red chilies
Chili powder
Peppercorns
Ginger root

CHOOSE FOR SWEETNESS

Sugar, brown or white
Molasses
Honey

 

 

 

 

 

The foods of India influence the new world more each year. Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby in their book, Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys & Chowchows  explain:  “French cuisine may have its elaborate, subtle sauces, but the cuisines of the warm-weather world have their easygoing, carefree salsas … chutneys …  sambals …  chowchows …  or blatjangs, depending where one eats them.” And, their use is rising shartly in the U.S.  
In the Indian culture they cooks prepare mostly bland dishes, yet have more than 3,000 spices to work with! This is due to the country’s dense populations and scarcity of foods. This challenges chutney imagination and opening the way for elaborate chutneys made hot, sour, sweet and spicy using a variety of vegetables and fruits. Chutneys in India are made fresh each day, often more than one chutney  for the same meal.    

“Each preparation brings to palates intense, loud, pungent, competing flavors, a pleasing rush … a treat to the mouth. You taste sweet, then hot, then salt, then sour in a fraction of a second” continues Schlesinger and Willoughby. More latitude comes from the balance achieved between   sweet to sour, spicy to salty – fresh or cooked, mild to strong, thin or chunky. These chutneys retain their strong fruit or vegetable flavor which is usually enhanced with sugar, honey or molasses, balanced with vinegar or lime juice. Chutneys are not always spicy-hot.   

Historically chili peppers and chutneys started traveling to new lands when Malay-speaking indentured servants from the East Indies brought their chutneys and sambals with them to the Caribbean and southern Africa.  African slaves brought their own foods and cooking techniques to the Americas. The British adopted a taste for chutney when they occupied India. Subtle changes occurred over the years. The English tended toward sweeter versions, while Indian chutney remained sour and quite sharp.   

USES: 

  • Take advantage of seasonal fruits or vegetables and make a large batch.
  • Virtually oil free, chutney becomes a multi-faceted ingredient in casseroles, bean dishes, meat toppings
  • Bake Brie in phyllo dough and serve with a side of mango chutney.
  • Serve chutney as an accompaniment to meat, game, fish or vegetarian dishes.
  • Serve on sandwiches, in salads.

RECIPE:  BUILD YOUR OWN CHUTNEY 

There is no such thing as a perfect chutney; most are unique. Mix and experiment using the following categories. Make future batches based on your family’s adaptations.   

  • Saute 2 onions briefly, add garlic to taste. Remove from heat while onions are still crisp. Put one side.
  • Combine approximately 4 to 6 cups of coarsely chopped fruit(s)/Vegetable(s) in saucepan. Choose no more than three.
  • Add fruit juice to keep chopped items from being dry.
  • Simmer gently until slightly tender, yet crisp.
  • Add sautéed vegetables, stir well.
  • Add vinegar. Start with 1/3 cup
  • Add sweetener to taste, start with 1/4 cup
  • Add spicing, no more than three to start, also salt and pepper
  • Add heat agent. Start with 1/3 teaspoon crushed red pepper.

 Cool mixture and re-taste for sweetness, tartness, heat and spiciness. Place in sterile jars. Chutneys keep up to one year in the refrigerator and seem to improve with age. Do not return leftover chutney to its original jar.

 

© Marty Martindale, Largo, Florida, 2003

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