Sweet & Spicy Fruit Chutney – Spread the Warmth
I have said this before. A spoon (or more ) of chutney after meals is a must in all traditional Bengali meals. Known to have a sweet tooth, it is not limited to just desserts – the meal must end in a sweet note too. Which is really nice & fulfilling I would say. That craving for a dessert is eliminated, that hunt around the house for a broken piece of chocolate is longer a compulsion.
There is a special kind of chutney which is served during Bengali Weddings & in any other big ocassions – it is made of tomatos, amshotto(sun dried ripe mango pulp). dates & raisins with a lot of sugar & a teensy bit of spice added to it. And it is served with the strangest partner you could think of – A piece of Deep Fried Papad. Well strange it might sound, but we kind of grew up seeing that, so the chutney is pretty incomplete without the papad. It is as if the savory is required to balance that intense sweet.
Back home, my mom would ALWAYS have a bowl full of chutney whatever kind it be. We used to have a special bowl for chutney, & I almost never saw it empty. She would use up any of the seasonal fruits to make the most delicious chutneys. I have kept up the tradition, & make chutneys pretty often with whatever fruits I can lay my hands on. I have not limited my chutneys to a after meal spoonful, but use them in sandwiches & crackers with very spicy cheese.
These are the little Tea Sandwiches I had made with Pepper Jack Cheese layered with the Chutney. The picture above (& all the unused ones in this series) had been taken with CLICK! RED in mind. When I saw the color of the Chutney CLICK! RED was all I could think… but the “look” did not turn out the way I had wanted.
Ingredients:
- 2 large Tomatos, Chopped
- 2 Cups of Chopped Strawberry (Fresh or Frozen)
- 2 Plums (Take out the pit & chop them)
- 1/2 Cup Pitted Dates
- 1/2 Cup Rasberries ( & I had thrown in some blackberries I had too)
- 1 Red Apple chopped into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon of Mustard Seeds
- 1 Red Dry Chilli
- 2″ Cinnamon Sticks
- 2 Hot Green Chilli Peppers
- 1″ Ginger Peeled & sliced into very thin slices or grated
- 1 Cup Sugar (or Brown sugar)
- 1 Tablespoon Vinegar
- 1 Cup Orange Juice
Note: You can use any juicy fruits. Raisins, craisins, prunes & other dry fruits can be added too.
Preparation:
Heat a pot. Add the mustard seeds, Red Dry Chilli & the Cinnamon sticks.
When the mustard seeds start to dance, add all the other ingredients and simmer at low heat, till the Fruits are soft & mushy & the consistency gets thick enough to coat a spoon.
Pour the Chutney mixture into sterilized jars whilst still hot. Fill to ½ inch below the top. Cover with an airtight, plastic lid. Do not use a metal lid, because the action of the spices and vinegar will cause corrosion.
This fruit chutney may be used in particular with curries, but also with any dish, which has rice or pasta or bread as an accompaniment. Try this Fruit Chutney and Spicy Cheese combination in a sandwich or on crackers & you’re in for a delicious treat. It tastes great with Grilled Meat too. Sending this to the Chutney/Dip Mania hosted at Mane Adige.
Related Posts:
Apricot Jalapeno Chutney
Tags: amshotto chutney, apple, bengali chutney, bengali wedding chutney, chatni, chillies, condiment, fruit chunk, fruit chutney, fruit pulp, Mixed Fruit Chutney, orange juice, pair with grilled meat, plum, raspberries, Relish, rich flavor. flavour, spice, Spicy fruit Chutney, spread, strawberries, Summer Fruit Chutney, sweet chutney, Sweet Fruit Chutney, tomato date chutney, with cheese
January 31st, 2009 at 8:26 pm
This sounds just lovely. I love the top photo!
January 31st, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Fabulous plating eCurry, I esp love the last shot, chutney, cheese… Oh my goodness.
January 31st, 2009 at 9:52 pm
oooohhh this is simply superb beautiful color too hummm i have to try this book marked
January 31st, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Looks so tempting. nice photos as usual
January 31st, 2009 at 11:58 pm
I love the first, much more casual settings the color and cheese , wow, drooling!
February 1st, 2009 at 12:07 am
This is a lovely chutney…interesting combination of flavors
February 1st, 2009 at 3:26 am
wow…..fruit chutney looks yummm..really good.very healthy too..will try this soon..
February 1st, 2009 at 3:33 am
I didn’t know of this Bengali tradition till now. Must taste wonderful with the sweet, salty, tangy and spicy tones.
February 1st, 2009 at 5:49 am
The chutney looks delicious. I am just wondering how tomatoes sits with the other fruits. This should be a perfect pairing with the sandwiches.
February 1st, 2009 at 9:33 am
The chutney looks luscious and tasty.
February 1st, 2009 at 10:21 am
Oh, that’s such a beautiful looking chutney!!!!! A unique one as well, with the strawberries, raspberries…. thanks for the lovely entry
February 1st, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Love the sweet and spicy chutney, great color.
Thanks for visiting me, enjoy the Super Bowl!
)
February 1st, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I thought sweet chutneys were a western tradition, all the Indian chutneys I’ve grown up with are of the spicy variety. Love the color of this one, and papad with chutney, bring it on!
February 1st, 2009 at 2:38 pm
This chutney has my mouth watering. I love the look of it, and it sounds delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
February 1st, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Sounds really intriguing Soma, I never made chutney as fancy as yours.
Delicious.
Cheers,
Elra
February 1st, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Oh yeah, I know the post dinner craving for just a little bit of chocolate!! the chutney sounds so tasty. And i love the first picture
February 1st, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Chutney looks so good, I think I could have some of that just by itself!
February 1st, 2009 at 9:20 pm
I just love these chutneys – my Bong friend regularly sends me over some when she makes a fresh batch and its just awesome. I think this practice of chutney with meals is as unique to Bengali cuisine as “thogayals” or spicy chutneys are to Tamil cuisine.
This one looks delicious!
February 1st, 2009 at 10:23 pm
this sounds like a healthy chutney with fruits and veggies. what a vibrant looking picture?
February 1st, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Mmmmm lovely and bright and healthy, the pictures are visually appealing!
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:49 am
What a lovely, bright looking chutney!!!
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:56 am
Wowo beautiful and so yummy delicious, drool droll
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:52 am
must taste lovely with all those combination of flavours..love the colour..
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:55 am
Wow, looks yummy and delicious. new to me and love to try.
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
The first picture looks amazing, like something from a gourmet food magazine cover.
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:12 pm
wow Chutney looks very delicious and amazing photos
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Love the color of the sweet and spice cutney..looks yummy..
Thank You for visiting my blog..
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Great to hear you love Turkish food. I made the shish tavuk last week and I have a post ready. I’ll post it sometime in the coming weeks.
You also have a very nice website. I look forward to trying some of your recipes. They look yummy, just like the chutney you’ve made!
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Lovely pics looks absolutely tempting.
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:22 am
chutney sounds delectable.
I got gond from an indian grocery here..actually had all the other stuff n was craving these laddus, so asked him to get it for me…placed an order n he got it after a month .:)
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:13 pm
This looks just awesome !! I love chutneys !! and now am NOT gonna miss trying this out !!
February 3rd, 2009 at 8:59 pm
That chutney sounds really good!
February 4th, 2009 at 12:06 am
Fruit chutney looks lip smacking…..and I am drooling over the pic
February 4th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Fruit chutney looks wonderful, loved the flavors in this chutney….reminds me a little of pachadi, which we make, with fruits and which is sweet and spicy at the same time !
February 6th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Love the colours and the berries poking out! Delicious…
February 7th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Aamio chaaaatni khabo
Lovely snaps Soma … as usual. 