Hot and sweet gooseberry chutney
Hot and sweet gooseberry chutney laced with Indian spices and sweetened with jaggery
Ingredients
- 350 gms ripe gooseberries, washed, topped and tailed
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 whole red chilli
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 pods of cardamom
- 2 inch piece of cinnamon
- 1 tsp paas puron (see notes below)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1½ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup grated jaggery
Instructions
- Heat the mustard oil in a pan.
- Add the bay leaf, whole red chilli, cinnamon, cardamom and paas puron.
- When the seeds begin to splutter, add the gooseberries over medium to high heat. Stir well for a minute.
- Reduce the heat between low to medium. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander and chilli powders. Keep stirring. The fruit will release its juices and start to soften.
- Add the fennel seeds and mix in.
- Add the salt and mix in. Keep stirring till the juices start to thicken slightly.
- Add the jaggery and continue to stir till it melts completely and the mixture is bubbly.
- Keep stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.
- It is ready when a ladle pushed through the mixture makes a mark but soon covers it. It should fall easily from a spoon but shouldn't be watery.
- Remove from heat and cool completely before storing in air tight containers. I kept mine in the fridge.
- The chutney will thicken further on cooling, so ensure that it is not too thick when it is removed from heat.
Notes
- Paas puron-A whole spice blend consisting of equal parts of nigella seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds
- Although, the paas puron blend contains, fennel seeds, I added a little extra as it adds to the taste.