Chutney

Said to have originated from the Sanskrit word, ‘chaatni’ meaning ‘to lick’, this flavour bomb found in various forms is an integral part of India’s culinary treasure.

In most meals, the chutney is, of course, only an accompaniment. It is always on the margins of the plate. All you need is a little dab to enliven a drab meal. “A tiny amount of chutney is supposed to last an entire meal. It is made in a way that you’re supposed to lick it, not masticate it,” says food historian Pushpesh Pant. “It is served in small quantities to supplement other items (in the meal). Like pickle, it contributes ‘rasa’, or basic taste, that may be missing otherwise. However, while pickle is a processed, preserved food, most chutneys are prepared fresh."

Chutneys are served with almost every meal in India, especially as relishes with curries, but also as sauces for hot dishes (especially meats). They can be fresh or cooked, and are made from a wide variety of ingredients. They range in flavor from sweet or sour, spicy or mild, or any combination of these; they can be thin or chunky and can be made with fruits or vegetables or both. Mangos,  apples, pears, tamarind, onions, lemon, tomato, raisins, coconut, vinegar, sugar, honey, citrus peel, garlic, ginger, mint, turmeric, cinnamon, cilantro, and hot chilies are some of the ingredients used. (Not all together!)

During the colonial era the British took it home (along with curry dishes) to their Island, and thence to their other colonial possessions, including South Africa and the Caribbean Islands. During this long journey the concept changed, until the commercially made mango chutney 'Major Grey's chutney' became the British standard chutney. Major Grey is a probably mythical colonial British officer who loved curries and made his own chutney to accompany them (no one has a copyright on his name - anyone can use it). These commercially made cooked chutneys are still popular in Great Britain, and are usually made of fruit (usually mangos, apples or pears), onions and raisins simmered with vinegar, brown sugar and spices for about two hours.

Cooked mango or papaya chutneys are common in the Caribbean, and chutneys are also widely used in South Africa. They have become increasingly popular in the U.S., especially with the rise in popularity of Caribbean curries.

In its simplest form, the chutney is merely a paste comprising various ingredients, crushed on a grinding stone or pounded in a mortar with a pestle. Is it possible, then, that the chutney is the oldest form of prepared food known to humans? Pant believes so. “It is reasonable to suggest that the chutney is older than any other recipe known by homo sapiens. It was most likely ‘invented’ by our hunting-gathering ancestors by accident, maybe even before cooking transformed our eating habits. Crushed berries, fruit and leaves, seeds and nuts render whatever we put in our mouth tastier and slowly become a habit or preference,” he says.

But is the chutney just an accompaniment or — in the way that it is increasingly used — an Indian counterpart to modern condiments like ketchup and mustard sauce? Chutney, really, is a concept, made in kitchens across India, a few hours — or even minutes — before a meal is served. It is the idea that no meal should lack in interest and no food should go to waste. 

In Indian culinary history, chutney has performed another more essential function too.

It also became the chief accompaniment for the main carbohydrate for those whose access to food and fuel was restricted for social and economic reasons.

Preparing chutney requires little to no fuel as it’s usually uncooked. It can be made with just a few ingredients, whether they’re foraged or grown in the backyard. In some parts of the country, this means an abundance of ingredients that can be used, even if one didn’t have the means to buy or grow them oneself. So, in Uttarakhand, in whose hilly terrain hemp grows well, various parts of the plant have been a kitchen staple and one of the signature chutneys of the region is hemp seed (bhaang) chutney. Or, take the chaprah chutney, popular in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, that is made by crushing a certain kind of red ant — found aplenty there — with other ingredients. The ants, besides adding flavour to the meal, are also an excellent source of protein.

 It is said that in Andhra Pradesh, your meal begins and ends with chutney. It is that important a part of the cuisine. Some kind of chutney is eaten 

with every course of the meal, and, sometimes, the meal is just curd, rice and chutney,

In  Nagaland, one must have chutney with every meal. Most of the time, chutney makes up for the absence of any side dishes. Many tribal families live a hard life and do not have the luxury of making side dishes. That’s how the chutney became an integral part of tribal cuisine.

This was the brief history of chutni and now let's see the recipe of three chutneys featured here.

Coriander Chutney

This chutney is prepared almost every home in U.P. It gives the desired kick to a day to day meal and is also an important condiment for various chaats.

1 bunch coriander leaves with stems (Stems are powerhouse of flavor!)

3 Garlic cloves

4-5 green chillies

1 lemon

Blend all these together with the help of very little water. Add salt and green chutney is ready!

Tomato Apricot Chutney

This chutney I prepared for dosa and it is one of my favorites.

2 tomatoes chopped

1 small onion cut into 4 pieces

2-3 apricots (optional)

5-6 whole red chillies

Curry leaves  4-5

1 tsp. rai

1 pinch hing

1 tsp. chana dal

1 tsp. jaggery powder or sugar

Salt to taste

1 lemon ball size tamarind pulp (soaked in water)

In a sauce pan, heat 1 tsp. oil and add chana dal.

cook on low flame till dal turns light brown, then add whole chillies saving 1 for tadka.

Add tomatoes and half cup water and salt and cover and boil.

Now add apricot slices (I uused dried and pitted) and onion, cover the lid, turn off the flame.

When cools down, blend it.

Heat the pan again , then add blended tomato  and cook adding sugar and salt and tamarind.

In a tadka pan, prepare tadka of rai, hing, 1 whole chilli and curry leaves and sprinkle over chutney.

Your teekhi,khatti and a lil meethi chutney is ready!

Imli and Dates Chutney

This is most sought after chutney for various chaat preparations like tikki, dahi vada, samosa, chole, kachori and many many more chaat items.

1 cup soaked tamarind polp

1 cup jaggery

1/4 cup sliced dates

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. oil

1 pinch hing

1 tsp. black pepper powder

2 tsp. red chilli powder

2 tsp. Kalonji masala or karela masala

In a pot, heat oil. 

Add Hing and fully squeezed tamarind pulp.

Also add jaggery, salt, red chilli powder, black pepper and chopped dates.

Add a little water if it is very thick, cook for half an hour at least or till chutney starts thickening.

Sprinkle kalonji masala and turn off the flame.

When cools down, it will thicken more.

Store in an air tight glass jar and keep refrigerated.