I'm thinking about making some Indian foods. Someone else's post sparked my interested in making my own naan, which I think I will try this weekend. That got me thinking that making chutney might be fun too. However, I was wondering if it's as complicated as making jam? I mean, do you need a double boiler, or can you just make small batches and keep them in the fridge? Anyway, I'd be interested in ideas if anyone else has ever made their own. If not, I guess I can scour cooking Websites for ideas.
Hello there! In my opinion, making jam from scratch is more complicated than making a chutney. Jams are cooked in kind of a slow process especially if you don't add in the pectin which is what makes the jam set or thicken. If you don't use pectin, you could be stirring the mixture for hours! You would let it boil once you add the ingredients: fruit and half the sugar. When you add the pectin in, you'd have to let it boil for about 10 minutes. You also have to wait for the mixture to boil before you put the second sugar in. Then, wait for it to settle and boil again before removing it gradually from the heat. As you can see, it involves quite a lot of boiling, waiting and stirring. Ingredient-wise, there's also a lot of difference. Although both can use fruits, jam has a thicker consistency and has huge chunks of fruits at times. Since you would also sanitise the jars to be used for jam, it can survive for many months in your fridge. They can even last up to a year, although they could change colour past 6 months. With making chutney, although you can use fruits, vegetables aren't uncommon to use as well. The consistency of chutneys are also smoother and not as chunky as jams. And it can be eaten with bread as well like jam, however, it's commonly served with idlis or dosas. It's common to find different kinds of chutney. Usually, one of the ingredient stands out in the chutney and that's how it is named. You can also just use a blender to grind the ingredients. Personally, I have a Baby Bullet for making small batches of them. A food processor can also be used. But for the most part, even a simple blender can be enough to make a chutney. You would also need a pan where you would cook the tempering. That's about it, as you won't really need to put the chutney in jars. Chutneys are best eaten fresh and can only be stored in a few days in the fridge. If you don't use tamarind, that lessens the shelf life of the chutney as well. I think you can find lots of recipes online. But I'd post one here, one that showcases how easy to make a chutney is. Here it is: Garlic Chutney Ingredients 6 to 7 garlic cloves, chopped 1 cup coriander leaves 2 green chilies, chopped 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder half teaspoon of roasted cumin powder salt or pepper to taste Instructions Blend all ingredients until it's a smooth consistency. Add some water but not too much. Serve with aloo pakora or potato fritters, bread or even kebab. Yum! This can usually last for a few days in the fridge although it's better to consume it early. With other chutneys, you might need tempering ingredients and tempering as well. But it's basically just heating the ingredients in ghee or oil in the right temperature to bring out their flavours. I hope this helps!
Thank you, that is very helpful. I do have a food processor, and the idea of a double boiler scares me anyway so I'm glad I don't need one! I love chutney with just about anything. Maybe I don't eat it how you are supposed to, but it's all about about enjoying it right? I think I'll copy this recipe and give it a go some time.
I have made coriander chutney and usually add some onion to it and also ginger as it makes the taste spicier which can make the taste buds want more of it and enjoy eating it with lamb or chicken curry in the afternoon as it can make me enjoy having the meal, and having a cold drink can make me feel content and eating with family can be enjoyable as you talk and can take your time as well. Tamarind can be harder and have seen some videos and does need to be cooked properly and make sure it is in a jar easy to reach and it can take more work to make it, mango chutney is nice and you use the fruit from mango and make it the same way as coriander and can add other things in the process. Garlic chutney would be nice to try and may do it sometime and try some new recipes which can be nice and you can learn new things in the process and see how good you are when making chutney and trying some new dishes as well, chutney can be nice to have with a meal and making it yourself you know what is going in the chutney.
Very cool recipe! I got really into Mexican food a while back, and I still love making different kinds of salsas! I am sure the cooking skills I developed making salsas will be applicable in making chutney. I really want to adapt the recipe to a peach chutney, I think that would be amazing!
Thanks for the tips. I tried to make chutney in college but it was all messed up. I might have put too much water in it. I also didn't put enough garlic in it and that made the thing seem very bland. I will definitely try these recipes now. I think that I give up on the more complicated food too easily.
I make tamarind chutney occasionally. It doesn't need too many ingredients (tamarind, jaggery, jeera etc ..) and is very simple to prepare. It tastes very good and goes well with pakodas, vonda, samosas etc. Apart from that, I have not yet tried any other kind of chutneys.
I am a huge fan of mint chutney! It is a little hard to find around here, so I mostly make my own. I like it on samosas, pakoras, papadams, or sometimes with a bowl of rice when I'm in a hurry. This is my favorite recipe, and it only has four ingredients. You can add more or fewer chilies if you want it more or less spicy. The recipe suggests lemon juice to keep the nice green color, and this chutney is also good when mixed with yogurt. Here is the link: Mint Coriander Chutney Recipe, How to make Mint Coriander Chutney
I make herbal chutney regularly. It has curry leaves, coriander leaves, brahmi and tulsi. These leaves are ground to a paste along with onions, tamarind, sugar, salt, coconut and green chillies. This paste is then seasoned with mustard seeds spluttered in oil. It is a healthy chutney as each of those leaves are loaded with goodness. With the exception of coriander leaves the others grow in our garden. I have some other herbs too but I am not sure if they could be eaten raw.
