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Tomato chutney

Original recipe

Ingredients

  • 12 garlic cloves
  • 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups red-wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
  • 6 fenugreek seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon nigella seeds (sometimes called black onion seeds)
  • 2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, chopped, reserving juice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Instructions

Purée garlic, ginger, and 1/2 cup vinegar in a blender.

Heat oil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and add mustard seeds. When seeds begin to pop, stir in fenugreek, cumin, fennel, and nigella. Add garlic mixture, then cook over moderate heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juice), remaining 3/4 cup vinegar, sugar, salt, and cayenne and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer chutney, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1 1/2 to 2 hours (lower heat as necessary).

Transfer chutney to a bowl. Cool, uncovered, then chill, covered, at least 1 week to allow flavors to develop.

Notes

  • Use white sugar (I have used brown in the past and while one variety came out OK another was far too sweet)
  • Don’t use ghee as it sets as waxy bits in the sauce
  • 3x the spices, specifically
    • 3/4 tsp cumin
    • 3/4 tsp mustard seeds
    • 18-20 fenugreek seeds (maybe ours is old and weak?)
    • 3/4 tsp nigella (it’s an anti-inflammatory and delicious)
    • No fennel (mostly ‘cos we don’t have it, but also kinda weird)
    • 1/2 tsp indian chili powder in place of 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • ABSOLUTELY DEFINITELY USE THE PROPER BLENDER to blend the garlic/ginger/vinegar — the food processor lacks the power to make a real puree.
  • Used Muir Glen whole plum tomatoes — dunno if these were what I used first go around but 2nd go around sucked (some weird brand with blue label from Whole Foods)
Memorial Day Batch 
  • Only 2x (ie 1/2 tsp) the mustard and cumin seeds as vaguely recall from prior batch that maybe 3x was too much. 
  • Still 3x (ie 3/4 tsp) the nigella seeds
  • Slightly less sugar

This batch was pretty good. I think it could have used cooking longer or at a more vigorous simmer initially as it wasn’t as thick as prior batches. Spice-wise I wished for a bit more — maybe try the 3x again in the future after all. Or at least 3x the mustard seeds.