Culinary experts dive deep into the relevance of chutney in Indian meals

If we were ever to document the sounds of the urban Indian kitchen the churning of the mixer grinder would be synonymous with headbanging heavy rock metal The sound of dry raw fresh ingredients being pitted in the arena with all their might eventually blend into a transcendental promise of good taste In traditional setup the sound would be led by grinding the ingredients on stonemdashcrushed into pastes letting out a tease of aroma that would translate into a curry or chutneyThe role of chutney in Indian cuisine is rather circumstantial before monumental ldquoTraditionally chutneys were never cooked or stored but served fresh with every meal It enhances the taste of the meal and contributes to overall nutrition with its raw ingredients when paired with meat rice tarkari or roti In times when people couldnrsquot afford a full meal chutney helps add nutrition taste and a wet element to moisten the biterdquo says Chef Kunal Kapur defining chutney as a paste or puree that is ground together on a stone or mixer grinderKokum chutney a common side kick in Kokani Muslim food acts as a palate cleanser says Mumtaz KaziWith the advancement in our cuisine Kapur explains we started cooking the chutney to increase its shelf life Examples include imli lassan mango amchur and apple Raw chutneys like mint thecha or coconut have a low shelf life unlike pickles that undergo preservation processes which is a big distinction between them ldquoAnother category is relish under which murabba falls says Kapur calling it the inbetween of a chutney and a pickleIn the summer mango is the undisputed contender even for chutneys with raw mango adding its tang to signature blends ldquoIn Bengal I love the ber or bor ki chutney during winter India also makes chutneys out of aloo bukhara plum mirchi raw mango and summer is best for fresh chutney made with herbs like mint and corianderrdquo says KapurWriter of cultures and independent researcher based in Kayalpatnam Tamil Nadu Sumaiya Mustafa opines that chutney as a concept is found all over the subcontinent in different names such as sambols Still the word chutney prevails in almost every region of our country ldquoIt was first a necessity to gulp down khichdi and lubricate our breads The British took it from us and made the condiment almost like a preserve Cheeseboard chutneys and chutneys named after miscellaneous army personnel like Major Greyrsquos chutney made of mango raisins vinegar lime juice onion tamarind extract and spices are classics among Brits even today and had become a rage in the 1980s American households Like curry powders chutneys caught their imagination too Vencatachellum Madras Curry Powder from the late 19th century even exported chutneysrdquo she recallsChutneys were popularised with the coming of the Suez Canal when steam engines brought in the lsquomemsahebsrsquo whose husbands were stationed in India They set up households where Indian servants cooked and cleaned for them In the cookbooks created for them along with the AngloIndian community chutneys and pickles started finding their duerdquo says Mustafa leaving us with something to ponder ldquoChutneys are subjective tastes themselves aremdashmy preference maybe someone elsersquos nightmare To know about the salt and spice preferences for whom one cooks is important to mastering the art of cooking anything especially chutneyrdquo We dive into a chutney paradise across IndiaFor the Mangalorean dry fish chutney Goregaonbased home chef Jaya Naik blends roasted red chillies jeera coriander seeds tamarind and garlic into a powder To this add fresh coconut and give it a short blitz Add raw chopped onions Fry any dried fish like prawns anchovies or sole fish in coconut oil and add to the mixture Temper with curry leaves and mustard seeds before serving PicsAnurag AhireHome chef Mumtaz Kazi shares an anecdote from her Kokani Muslim tradition ldquoWhen someone loses flavour in their mouth we make kokum chutney We say lsquotonda la layarsquo loosely translates to adding a chataka flavour zing to the palaterdquo Kazi explains Konkan is lush with kokum and coconut and come summer the chutney is made for its cooling properties ldquoTo increase shelf life we spray a little oil on it The chutney is ground and kept in mitti ka saan flat earthenware plate and kept on bhanoshi the space behind an earthen chulhardquo says KaziMove up to Gujarat and Kutch Hetal Chedda from Not a Chef whips up delicious Gujarati offerings and says with their staple of bhakri rotla and dhokla chutney seals the deal ldquoAs a Gujarati and Kutchi family I eat khakra in the morning every day and with that we eat a vateli handpounded semicoarse chutney that can almost be called a Gujarati thecha In summer it gets the addition of raw mango My mom makes it with green chillies ginger and salt and then you have half crush it with your hand in winter we put green garlic which is seasonally availablerdquo she saysGoregaonbased home chef Jaya Naik knows a good chutney needs the best ingredients which she usually procures from a nearby Mangalorean store She treks to Malad market for dry prawns anchovies or sole fish either of which are added as a dry catch to the Mangalorean fish chutney Across her birthplace Mangalore rice and coconut are abundant making the base for chutneys too The story of chutney begins with the popular breakfast meal of idli dosa which comes with a side of coconut chutney made with green chillies ginger garlic and tamarind with a tadka of urad dal and curry leaves ldquoEvery household makes this along with another speciality a ridge gourd turiya chutney We scrape off the sharp edges and boil it in buttermilkrdquo she explainsSumaiya MustafaSummer calls for tangy mango chutney called kuku dha chutney in Tulu Raw and ripened mangoes are accompanied by coconut red or green chillies garlic and ginger The chutney is finished with a tadka in coconut oil When made in bulk it is made in a round hollow stone mortar and a pestleChef Ravi Dija Debnath executive chef of Tanjore Tiffin that focuses on home style Chennai cuisine has set out on road trips to the state with his team to train under traditional chefs To give their jackfruit cutlets and egg bondas the same flavour zing they made a variety of chutneys ldquoPathar ke phool stone flower kali miri to garam masala makes it into the grinder The standout bor chilli lends the spicerdquo he saysKunal Kapur loves a good dose of chutney with his meals It helps add nutrition and taste and moisten the bite tooLike the rest of India Gitika Saikia of Gitikarsquos PakGhor which offers North East Indian cuisine says ldquoWe eat chutneys with each meal across all seasons and some are eaten like a sabzirdquo She parrots a list of chutneys from the regionmdashblack sesame white sesame garlic bhut jolokia spring onion perilla seeds bamboo shoot chutney etc We also have a range of dry fermented and smoked fish chutneysFor the til chutney Gitika Saikia blends 100 gm black sesame dry roasted and coarse ground a tsp of fermented bamboo shoot five cherry tomatoesgrilled half a bhut jolokia and salt PicsAnurag AhireIn Assam chutneys take precedence depending on the ingredients across the area ldquoPerilla or wild sesame seeds are familiar towards the hills of Assam around MargheritaChanglangNamsai on the Arunachal Pradesh border black sesame is plenty in Karbi Anglong hills around Meghalaya ldquoThe common ones are fermented soya bean chutney called akhuni or axone Most popular in the urban and remote areas is the goroi maas a pond fish pounded chutney Fresh fishes are caught roasted over fire and cleanedrdquoAubergine and peanut chutneyINGREDIENTS6 cups diced aubergine12 cup olive oil2 tsp kalonji1 tbsp jeera14 cup curry leaves2 cups tomatoes chopped2 tsp red chilli powder1 tsp turmericSalt to taste2 cups jaggery grated1 cup tamarind pulp12 cup peanuts roastedMETHODHeat olive oil and add kalonji and then jeera Once it crackles add curry leaves and immediately add the tomatoes Sauteacute for a minuteAdd red chilli powder turmeric powder and salt Stir for a minuteAdd aubergine and cook for 34 minutes Add tamarind and simmer on slow heat covered for 23 minutes Add the grated jaggery and roasted peanuts Check for seasoning Cool and store in a tightfitting jarChennairsquos red chutneyINGREDIENTS15 gm tomatoes chopped30 gm onions chopped3 gm garlic5 gm red chilli powder5 ml sesame oil1 gm mustard seeds1 gm chana dal1 gm curry leaves15 ml tamarind2 pieces bor chilli1 gm hingChef Ravi Debnath makes red tomato chutney with bor chillies at Tanjore Tiffin Versova PicAnurag AhireMethodAdd all ingredients in the blender till it has a chutneylike consistencyKokum chutneyINGREDIENTS1 bowl kokum saal remove seeds1012 dry red Kashmiri chillies45 fresh spicy green chillies56 garlic clovesRock salt to tasteMETHODGrind all ingredients to a coarse paste on a grinding stoneCooking tip Sprinkle oil on the chutney to keep fungus at bay Can be kept out for three to four days