Want to make your food interesting ? Off-coarse you do! If you think you should eat boring food just because its a lockdown you are wrong! Yes, Lack of resources and unavailability of various items as a result of the lockdown will inhibit your ability to bring out the inner chef.
But that is no reason to fret! This is the time to shift gears from a chef to an engineer. From celebration of gastronomy to solving problems in a satisfactory manner. It took me to my childhood when both my parents had to work to make ends meet, my mom who was very busy, would make interesting various side dishes that could be used with a wide variety of main dishes. This ensured that whatever we had at home was always good, even if she could not give the kind of time in the kitchen she would have liked. Growing up I don't ever remember eating 'boring food'.
In india we have the concept of 'Chutney'. Closest thing that can be found in a western context would be a dip. However its scope is much wider. In fact this is a genre by itself in Indian cooking. And every culture in India has their own trademark chutneys. Some of them even family secrets handed down from generations. In fact if we take all of India, there would be well over a 1000 different variates of chutneys
The two most known chutneys from India would be the (Pudina) mint cilantro chutney and coconut chutney. The former being popular in northern part of India and the latter being synonymous with south Indian cuisine. However as mentioned earlier there is a whole lot more into this chutney business.Today we will look at Tomato chutney.
This is a sweet and spicy chutney. The reason I chose this was its versatile nature. It works for those who like sweet, spicy or sour taste. You can use it like a traditional chutney with your paratha or like a spread in a sandwich or like a dip for your nachos.
Its like a magic wand, In one blow with slight adjustments it can cater to almost any taste bud.
The three magic ingredients are sugar, red chilli powder and garam masala. Tweak them to get the taste you want. For kids and those who don't want much spice, it would be better to keep the red chilli and garam masala low and increase the sugar and vice versa.
Garam masala can be purchased from any supermarket. If not you can make this at home easily. Its made from spices that most people tend to have in their kitchen.
Prep Time:10 Minutes
Cook Time:35 Minutes
Servings:2 Cups
Ingredients
4-5 Tomatoes [500 grams], finely chopped
4-5 Garlic cloves
3 x 1 Inch ginger
2 tbsp methi dana (Fenugreek)
3 tbs mustard oil
curry leaves
1 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp garam masala
1.5 tsp red chili powder
1 Cup/to taste sugar
salt to taste
The Recipe
Pulse/grind ginger-garlic nicely. You want them really fine for this recipe.
Heat a pan on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil to it.
Once the oil is hot add the chopped ginger and garlic and cook for a minute or two.
- Add curry leaves and garam masala.
- Add the methi(Fenugreek)dana.
- Now add the tomatoes and mix well. Cook for a minute.
- Add vinegar and salt. Mix well and cook for another minute.
Now add sugar and red chili powder and mix. The chutney will start to liquefy as the sugar melts.
Keep stirring and cook for another 2-3 minutes till it thickens a bit. Don't cook it for too long even if the solution is not thick.The chutney will become thick as it cools down.
- Remove from heat and let it cool down. Once the chutney has cooled down, store it in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Congratulations. The cuisine on your dinner table is now officially interesting 😜
You can now add this to anything. Use as a dip/spread/chutney. Try this as a replacement for ketchup. It will impart a different taste.This will make food interesting for adults, and Kids love it.
This has a shelf life of around 15 days if you keep in the refrigerator. If you leave it outside please look to finish in 3-4 days. Also avoid putting wet or used spoons into the chutney.
Hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as I did. If you want to know anything about Indian recipes do reach out in the comments section and I will be happy to share.
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Yenjoy!