Chutneys seem like they represent a world of Indian flavors in miniature.  They are often made from fruits/vegetables/herbs or all three.  Often served alongside breads and snacks like samosas, they are sometimes sweet or spicy and don’t forget sometimes garlicky.  Sometimes warm, sometimes cold, most always served in very small portions like the relishes they are.

Cranberry Chutney:

An outrageously good chutney as voted on by my family.  Particularly good in the fall when fresh cranberries are in season. Cranberry mixture: 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries 1 ½ cup white grape juice 4 ounces jaggery powder (Indian unrefined brown-ish sugar) Mulling ball or cheesecloth sachet Spice mixture for the mulling ball: 1 Thai chili, stemmed & halved not chopped up 1 dried Indian bay leaf, torn up in big pieces 5 green whole cardamom pods 1 x 3 inch cinnamon stick, broken up 5 whole cloves 1/4 teaspoon salt for finishing A spectacular chutney that goes with the kathi rolls or any other bread/snack! You want the spices in large pieces so that they don't escape from the mulling ball or cheesecloth into the cranberry mixture. Bring the cranberry mixture to a boil on medium high heat. Place all the spices, except for the salt, in the mulling ball or cheesecloth and place it in the saucepan and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook with some stirring for about 40 minutes until everything thickens.  Remember that it will thicken a bit more as it cools.  You can always add a bit of water to re-hydrate. Cool, discard the spices, finish with some salt, and serve. Stores in the fridge well for a week - try freezing for up to several months. 2022 Update: Did not scale well at more than a double batch.  Double batch cooked just fine. Small saucepan for single batch, larger for double batch.

Coriander - Mint Chutney

A more traditional chutney, very garlicky.  The yogurt version is often served in Indian restaurants with samosas.  It will be way too garlic-sharp on day one but mellows perfectly a day later. 1 ½ cups chopped cilantro ½ cup packed mint leaves ¼ cup water (seems like too little, but it works) 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, bottled, or make your own: ½ cup (2 ounces) chopped and peeled fresh ginger 1 ½ cups (½ pound) peeled garlic cloves ¾ cup water Puree all until smooth.  The raw garlic will smell too sharp but mellows when added to recipes. Store in the fridge and freezes well. This will turn green in the refrigerator but is okay to eat. 1 teaspoon Thai green chili pepper (this will not be too blazing hot) ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar Just whirl everything in a blender and store for a week or freeze. Stir in 3 tablespoons of yogurt to mellow things even more, but do not freeze.  Just add it at serving time. All on this page adapted from the Rasika: Flavors of India cookbook from 2017.