Chutneys are India’s cooks creative response to bland food. In the world of sauce and condiment, chutney stands out as an ageless flavor enhancer. Uncooked or lightly cooked, smooth or chunky, dry or wet and spicy, sweet, sour or savory, true Indian chutney imparts a flavor-packed spike that elevates simple meals.
It’s likely that what you think of as chutney isn’t authentically Indian. The bottled fruit chutneys familiar to Westerners, commercially prepared from mangos, apples or peaches, sugar and vinegar, are not common in India. This culinary falsehood began with the commercially bottled Major Grey Chutney and the colonial British East Indian Trading Company who coined the word chutney (which came from the Hindi “chatni” and means “to eat with appetite”).
The story goes that some colonial Englishman (Major Grey?) developed a sweet and sour cooked mango chutney that would keep longer and travel home to Britain easily. (For my money it was more likely Lady Grey’s household native Indian cook who really developed the prototype for bottled chutney.)
In contrast, cooks all over India prepare fresh chutneys daily. They employ spices, chilies, gingerroot, shallots, cilantro, mint, nuts and seeds (peanuts, cashews, coconut, flaxseed), lentils and yogurt. All manner of produce finds its way into chutney: radish, carrot, cucumber, chickpea, potato, guava, eggplant, garlic, onion, orange, lemon, papaya, pineapple, beet, green or red chili, gooseberry, mangos, tamarind, pineapple, papaya, apricot and tomato. Whole and ground spices add depth, tamarind, yogurt, green mango and lime add tartness; jaggery, dates, raisins and fruit add sweetness.
For centuries, regions of India have developed their own prized specialties. A south Indian meal is not complete without at least one pachadi, thogayal, chammanthi, tokku or podi (a.k.a. chutney) to add sparkle to rice, breads and lentil dishes. Chutneys enhance digestion and their mainly vegetarian dining experience. Southern cooks often prepare chutneys from roasted dried lentils, peanuts, cashews, tamarind, tomatoes, yogurt and fresh coconut into wet chutney or dry spicy powders (podi). Northern cooks typically prepare cilantro-coconut, mint, tamarind and date chutneys. They pair cooling and sweet chutneys with spicy dishes and curries to balance flavors.
To learn about the wildly rich and varied collection of traditional Indian chutneys and how make your own, I suggest you get cozy with an Indian cook or an Indian cookbook by a native cook like Julie Sahni, Madhur Jaffrey, Chandra Padmanabhan or Camilla Panjabi. Yamuna Devi, though not a native, has a delightful and comprehensive cookbook on Indian vegetarian cuisine.
Chutneys are the spirit of Indian cuisine. Every bite is not only full of big flavor but also of centuries of history, of crossing cultures and regions. Not only do chutneys embody the diversity and culinary heritage of India, they add excitement to any cuisine with their ability to balance and enhance a simple meal. A morsel of chapatti, a sweet sparkle of chutney and a bite of lentil dal. A spoonful of spicy chicken, saag paneer or chana masala, a bite of rice and a cooling burst of chutney. With a little practice, chutneys will become your grand answer to bland and boring.
Fresh Cilantro or Mint Chutney
Tamarind chutney and mint chutney are the most famous types of chutney served in north India. Mint chutney may be served with many different types of curry but is popular with kebabs and tandoori chicken. Serve this chutney with rice, curry and dal.
Yields 1-3/4 C., 6 to 8 servings
4 C. packed cilantro OR mint leaves
2 T. stemmed and chopped jalapeño chili
2 T. peeled and minced gingerroot
2 to 3 T. jaggery or maple syrup, to taste
4 to 6 T. freshly squeezed lime juice, 1-1/2 to 2 large limes
In a blender, purée cilantro or mint, chili, ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sweetener, and 4 tablespoons lime juice, scraping down as necessary. Pour in 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, and continue to purée until very smooth.
Taste chutney and adjust flavors and texture. Scrape mixture into a container or bowl and rest 20 minutes — to give chutney time to develop flavor. If necessary, stir in more water to adjust consistency to a thick soupy consistency. Taste chutney and adjust flavor with more salt, lime juice, or sweetener.
Cilantro-Cashew: Purée 3-3/4 oz. dry-roasted cashews (3/4
C.) in with cilantro. Adjust with more water to achieve thick soupy consistency.Cilantro-Coconut: Purée
1/2
C. unsweetened, dried and toasted (or fresh grated) coconut in with cilantro.Coconut Milk or Yogurt: Substitute coconut milk or yogurt for all or part of the water.
Tamarind Chutney
This delightful fruity, sour chutney is prepared all over India and served with most meals.
Yields 1 to 1-1/4 C.
1/4 C. packed tamarind paste
1/4 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. garam masala
1 T. peeled and finely grated gingerroot
5 to 6 T. jaggery or maple syrup
Mix tamarind with 3/4 C. boiling water. Rest 15 to 20 minutes. Knead tamarind to release purée. Strain and scrape through mesh strainer set over bowl to yield about 3/4 cup thick purée; reserve. Discard seeds and fiber.
Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add spices and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in tamarind purée. Place ginger in cheesecloth and squeeze ginger juice into tamarind. Stir in jaggery or maple syrup and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until jaggery is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and cool.
Taste and adjust seasonings to sweet-sour, adding sweetener as necessary. Stir in water to achieve desired consistency, thick enough to coat a spoon, but pourable.
Fresh Mango Chutney
This is a typical South Indian chutney, where mangoes are available year-round. South Indian cooks often make it with sour, unripe mango, but it’s also tasty with a ripe one.
— From “Discovering Global Cuisines” by Nancy Krcek Allen
Yields 1-1/2 C.
2 C. peeled and diced firm-ripe mangoes, about 2 medium
1/2 to 1 t. red chili powder
1/4 C. finely sliced cilantro
Tempering
1 T. fragrant coconut oil
1 t. dark mustard seed
1/2 t. cumin seed
3 to 4 T. peeled and finely diced shallot
2 to 3 t. peeled and minced gingerroot
6 to 8 fresh curry leaves (available online)
Pinch of asafoetida powder
1 lime, about 2 to 3 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
Place mango, chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and cilantro into food processor. Pulse/ purée until mango is a chunky purée. Scrape into mixing bowl.
Heat oil over medium heat in 2-quart saucepan. Add mustard and cumin seeds and cook 30 seconds. Add shallot, ginger, and curry leaves and cook until shallots soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add asafoetida and remove pan from heat.
Scrape tempering into mango mixture and fold in. Season with salt and lime juice to taste. Rest chutney to develop flavor 20 minutes before serving.
Devise a tomato chutney from this recipe.Cooked Mango Chutney: Add the chunky mango purée to the tempering and bring to a boil. Simmer a few minutes and remove from heat. Season with fresh lime juice. This will keep slightly longer than the fresh chutney. Sweeten with jaggery if desired.
Note: Many dishes in South Indian cuisine require fresh curry leaves. These aromatic and enticing narrow green leaves look like a long, narrow bay leaf. They are indispensable for true South Indian flavor, but can be difficult to find unless an Indian market is nearby. Refrigerated, curry leaves last only a week or two before blackening. Freezing turns them to black mush. But there is another way: Place fresh leaves in a storage container in the refrigerator. Leave the lid ajar so there is airflow. The leaves will dry, but retain much of their scent and flavor. After the leaves dry, seal the storage container and keep leaves refrigerated. They will keep flavor several months.
Tomato Chutney
Tomato Chutney originated in Eastern India, in the Bengal region. Portuguese traders introduced tomatoes from the Americas and Bengali cooks incorporated them into their traditional cuisine. Tomato chutney traces back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries during British colonial rule. Over time tomatoes and tomato chutney embedded into the diverse cuisines across India.
1 T. oil
1/2 t. dark mustard seeds
1/2 t. cumin seeds
1/4 t. fenugreek seeds
1/4 t. fennel seeds
1/4 t. kalonji (nigella seeds)
4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, cored and diced
1 to 2 t. grated fresh ginger
1/4 t. red chili powder
Salt to taste
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add mustard, cumin, fenugreek, fennel and kalonji. Cook until the seeds start to splutter, 20 to 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and ginger. Cook until tomatoes soften, 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in red chili powder and salt. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chutney thickens. Cool chutney and taste; adjust seasonings. Serve at room temperature.
To add smoky flavor, roast tomatoes on an open flame or under a broiler before chopping and cooking. For an added layer of flavor, include finely diced onions or minced garlic to the oil after adding the seeds and before adding tomatoes. For sweet and sour tomato chutney stir in lime juice or vinegar and sugar or other sweetener.
South Indian Onion-Urad Dal Chutney (Yengayam ThovIayal)
This savory, addictive chutney could make a full meal with rice or roti.
— From “Discovering Global Cuisines” by Nancy Krcek Allen
Yields 2 to 2-1/2 C.
2 T. packed block tamarind paste
5 T. coconut oil
4 oz. urad dal (skinned black split lentils), 1/2 cup, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
3/4 t. caraway seed
1/8 t. ground asafoetida
2 C. peeled and finely diced onions
2 three-inch dried red chilies, stemmed (seeded for less heat)
Tempering
2 t. fragrant coconut oil
3/4 t. dark mustard seeds
Break up tamarind and place in small heatproof mixing bowl. Pour 1/3 cup boiling water over and soak until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Mash pulp. Push through strainer. Discard pits and fiber. Reserve tamarind purée, about 2 tablespoons.
Heat oil in 4-quart saucepan over medium heat and stir in urad dal. Stir constantly and cook until evenly golden. Stir in caraway and asafoetida and cook 30 seconds. Stir in onions and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
Lower heat and add 2 tablespoons tamarind purée and red chilies. Season with salt. Simmer and stir 5 minutes. Transfer chutney to blender and add 2/3 cup cold water. Purée chutney to a slightly crunchy, rough paste. Scrape into mixing bowl and rinse out blender with a little more water and use to thin chutney. Taste chutney and season with more tamarind or salt. Place into serving dish.
Temper: Heat oil in 6-inch sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add mustard seeds and fry until they sputter and crackle. Immediately pour over chutney. Serve chutney at room temperature.