Well, as its Easter, I thought I'd share with others an old recipe for
Bengal Chutney I found in an old handwritten recipe book I bought on EBay
(yes EBay!). There are lots of British recipes for Bengal Chutney as
those returning home from Indian Raj administration tried to recreate the
hot CHATNI they found in India. Most of the authentic Indian recipes
called for the use of mangoes but we made do with apples instead.

First of all, here is the recipe, and I'll add one or two notes at the end:

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2kg (3lb) cooking apples, cored and quartered.
100g (4oz) seedless dark raisins
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup (4oz) granulated sugar
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon white mustard seeds
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
4 cups (32fl oz) white vinegar

METHOD

1. Mince together apples, raisins, and garlic
2. Place in a preserving pan with all the other ingredients
3. Bring to the boil and then simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon.
4. When you can draw a spoon across the pan and a "pathway" remains across
the chutney in the pan, its cooked.
5. Pour into warm jars and seal.

NOTES

a) I often have a glut of eating apples, which are sweeter. So I use
these and add the juice of another lemon to balance the flavour.
b) It's easier to get yellow mustard seeds here, so I use those without
any noticeable difference.
c) I have got a mincer but sometimes its easier to pulp in a food
processor. I haven't yet used a liquidiser....
d) The original recipe called for white (ie. distilled) vinegar, however I
usually use brown pickling vinegar. Cider vinegar and wine vinegar could
be used but I never have used them because of the expense.
e) The pan to be used should be of stainless steel or aluminium - not iron
under any circumstances unless its enamelled without any chips.
f) Jars should have lids that are glass or plastic or (plastic coated), be
thoroughly washed, dried and heated for 20 minutes in a slow oven (just
on). The lids and seals should have been immersed in boiling water until
use. As an amateur winemaker I generally wash the jars out with sodium
metabisulphate solution, too, then rinse with boiled water that is cold,
before they go in the oven.

I should add that many people find this version of Bengal Chutney to be
very hot (hot as in chilli flavour). I like my Bengal Chutney to be hot
so I add a couple of Birds Eye Chillis, seeds too, instead of the cayenne
pepper when mincing.

I hope this recipe is of interest to you and you all have a HAPPY EASTER!!!!
--

Old Rocker

greetings to all: there seems to be a mango glut in my asian market in the
boston area- does one substitute mangos pound for pound w/o any other recipe
changes?



"Old Rocker" > wrote in message
news
> Well, as its Easter, I thought I'd share with others an old recipe for
> Bengal Chutney I found in an old handwritten recipe book I bought on EBay
> (yes EBay!). There are lots of British recipes for Bengal Chutney as
> those returning home from Indian Raj administration tried to recreate the
> hot CHATNI they found in India. Most of the authentic Indian recipes
> called for the use of mangoes but we made do with apples instead.
>
> First of all, here is the recipe, and I'll add one or two notes at the
> end:
>
> INGREDIENTS
>
> 1 1/2kg (3lb) cooking apples, cored and quartered.
> 100g (4oz) seedless dark raisins
> 2 cloves garlic
> 1/2 cup (4oz) granulated sugar
> 3 teaspoons ground ginger
> 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
> 1 teaspoon white mustard seeds
> Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
> 4 cups (32fl oz) white vinegar
>
> METHOD
>
> 1. Mince together apples, raisins, and garlic
> 2. Place in a preserving pan with all the other ingredients
> 3. Bring to the boil and then simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon.
> 4. When you can draw a spoon across the pan and a "pathway" remains across
> the chutney in the pan, its cooked.
> 5. Pour into warm jars and seal.
>
> NOTES
>
> a) I often have a glut of eating apples, which are sweeter. So I use
> these and add the juice of another lemon to balance the flavour.
> b) It's easier to get yellow mustard seeds here, so I use those without
> any noticeable difference.
> c) I have got a mincer but sometimes its easier to pulp in a food
> processor. I haven't yet used a liquidiser....
> d) The original recipe called for white (ie. distilled) vinegar, however I
> usually use brown pickling vinegar. Cider vinegar and wine vinegar could
> be used but I never have used them because of the expense.
> e) The pan to be used should be of stainless steel or aluminium - not iron
> under any circumstances unless its enamelled without any chips.
> f) Jars should have lids that are glass or plastic or (plastic coated), be
> thoroughly washed, dried and heated for 20 minutes in a slow oven (just
> on). The lids and seals should have been immersed in boiling water until
> use. As an amateur winemaker I generally wash the jars out with sodium
> metabisulphate solution, too, then rinse with boiled water that is cold,
> before they go in the oven.
>
> I should add that many people find this version of Bengal Chutney to be
> very hot (hot as in chilli flavour). I like my Bengal Chutney to be hot
> so I add a couple of Birds Eye Chillis, seeds too, instead of the cayenne
> pepper when mincing.
>
> I hope this recipe is of interest to you and you all have a HAPPY
> EASTER!!!!
> --
>
> Old Rocker

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 11:19:20 -0400, bobdrob wrote:

> greetings to all: there seems to be a mango glut in my asian market in the
> boston area- does one substitute mangos pound for pound w/o any other recipe
> changes?
[snipped]

To be honest, I've never tried it, but according to Marguerite Patten (one
of the most English of English cookery writers) mangoes can be substituted
pound for pound. She does go on to say that in countries where chutneys
are made exclusively from mangoes, they make the chutney with under-ripe
mangoes.

Another variation you might like to try (which I've used once or twice) is
to boil chopped chillis in the vinegar then strain and allow the vinegar
to go cold before using. I use habanero chillis (we call them "scotch
bonnet peppers" over here), but this is for my personal stock as the rest
of the family are of the opinion I have no taste buds left since I became
a "curryholic" and a masochist.

The great thing about chutney making is that you can try all sorts of
variations according to the fruit available to you - and see if its worth
repeating. But make sure you write down exactly what you did so you CAN
repeat it...

Or I can give a recipe for Mango Chutney if you are not feeling
adventurous! But please understand they are still expensive fruits here
in the UK, so we STILL add apples....
--

Old Rocker