No Indian meal is complete without a dollop of mouth
watering chutney on the side. Chutneys pep up the meals even if the meals are
simple and bland. Chutneys have graced the Indian table since ancient times and
descriptions of these gastronomical delights have been found in the earliest
Indian chronicles.
Every family has its own chutney recipe that has been
designed or tweaked to suit the palate. These recipes are passed on from
generation to next like a legacy, and often guarded like a secret.
Here is our family recipe of Tomato Chutney and I have no
qualms in sharing it. My grandmother used to make this chutney from home grown
tomatoes. My mother carried forward this recipe and made some changes to suit
her preference for spicy taste. She added red chilli powder. My grandmother
used to love raisins in chutney and my mother added melon seeds instead.
I made the same
chutney with both raisins and melon seeds. I have added very little chilli
powder.
This is how I made Sweet Tomato Chutney
Sweet Tomato Chutney
Ingredients
500 Gms ripe tomatoes
¾ to 1 cup sugar (depending
on your taste)
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
3 tablespoons malt vinegar
6 cloves
2 cinnamon (1 inch) sticks
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon melon seeds
Method
Wash the tomatoes. Peel them. Or, blanch them in boiling
water for 3 to 4 minutes. Peel and chop them into very small pieces.
Put the chopped tomatoes in a thick bottom steel wok. Add
all the ingredients except melon seeds. Cook on low heat. Keep stirring from
time to time, till the mixture thickens.
Turn off the heat. Add melon seeds. Let the mixture cool.
Ladle into a clean dry jar. Allow to mature for 2 days.
This so much reminds me of the Bengali version of this lovely tomato chutney which I love to pair with my Rajma Chawal. The only difference is that they add Panchphoron to it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I used to eat cheese I used to slather cheese sandwiches with chutney and yours looks particularly inviting. Luckily I have lots of other uses for chutney now and when my tomatoes finally ripen I know what I am going to make with some of them :)
ReplyDeleteHi what is the shelf life of this chutney??
ReplyDeleteHello! If the bottle is sterilized properly and if you use a dry spoon to take the chutney, it lasts for a month. But since it does not have preservatives, i refregerate it. The chutney is so yummy, it does not last much.
Delete