Originally from Indian cuisine, this variety of sweet and hot spices is used to accompany all kinds of dishes.
The kitchen of our home can be a place of enjoyment where forget about our worries and problems and smear our hands, get dirty and, ultimately, enjoy cooking our favorite dishes. Many people, when they have time and energy to dedicate themselves to what they like the most, go into the kitchen with the intention of giving free rein to their imagination and trying the most appetizing recipes to later taste them with their loved ones.
One of those experiences that most often attracts those lovers of the kitchen is that of escaping from the everyday and experiment with new recipes. Furthermore, in a globalized world like the one we live in, it is easy go to other countries and different cultures to ours to collect ideas and thus stimulate our creativity.
kind of jam
One of those exotic condiments that has become fashionable in recent years in Spain is the ‘chutney’. Originating from western India, this variety of sweet and hot spices is a very popular accompaniment to ‘panipuris’ (type of sandwich) or fritters and is often accompanied by other sauces of similar flavors. But, it is served with many other dishes, such as basmati rice, with breads or curries.
To understand it from our point of view, we could define it as a kind of jam in which fruits or vegetables are simmered together with highly flavored spices, sugar and vinegar. The result, an explosion of flavor that floods our palate and is a perfect companion for cold meats, fish, empanadas, salads, cold meats or cheesesamong others.
It is clear that the ‘chutney’ provides a powerful original flavor to a wide variety of dishes, but in addition, this accompaniment adapts perfectly to different tastes, as it will depend on the elements with which we make it. And it is that, far from being a unique and immutable recipe, There are countless types of ‘chutney’. In fact, we can create as many flavors as there are fruits or vegetables in our house. For example, we can make a fig chutney with curry, cumin and balsamic vinegar; another tomato and apricot; pumpkin, orange and ginger: pineapple and lime with rosemary or many other types that come to mind.
How to prepare chutney
Although at first glance it seems like a distant or strange dish, its preparation is very simple. Much easier than making jam with which we are most familiar. First, we must peel, clean and pit the fruits and vegetables that we are going to use. We will chop them and put them in a saucepan.
After completing this first step, we will add the vinegar, the spices and the sugar. It is advisable to first dissolve the ground spices in a little vinegar and add this paste to the chutney ingredients so that they stick together easily. So we remove all over low heat until we see that the sugar dissolves and bring to a boil.
stir well
While it is cooking, it is possible that small puddles will be created that will force us to stir everything well. Once we see that the mixture is thick and the excess liquid has been eliminated, we can distribute it among several heated jars. The duration of this cooking process will vary depending on the fruits and vegetables that we have used. That is, the hardest and largest fruits, such as a pumpkin, will take longer to be cooked than the softer ones, for example, a zucchini. It shouldn’t take more than an hour and a half to be ready anyway.
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The jars in which we are going to introduce the ‘chutney’ must be hot so that they do not explode at the moment when we pour the boiling chutney. We can heat them in the oven, at low power. As soon as we put the chutney in the jars, we must immediately close them with waxed paper discs, with the waxy side down, and then adjust the thread to the lids.
The ‘chutney’ improves with time, so it is advisable keep the jars in a cool, dark, dry and ventilated place for at least 3 months. In addition, we do not have to worry too much about eating them quickly, since they last about 2 or 3 years. But, so that we do not forget the dates, it is highly recommended to put labels explaining the flavor of the ‘chutney’ and its production date.