Tomato Chutney

[Suvir Saran]

I left the dried chilies whole, and his were either broken up or strained out.

I left mine whole as well. Maybe my stirring the chutney every 15-20 minutes may have mashed them. I used whole dried red chilies that I buy at Food of India. I added t hem whole and forgot about them. Some of mine are still whole in some jars.. and in others they seem to have been mashed. Nothing was planned... They just took the form the decided to as I stirred.

[Suvir Saran]

And he chopped rather than pureed the tomatoes, so there were little curls of tomato skin scattered through the cauliflower dish.  They were very pretty and intensely tomato-y.

I quartered each tomato. That was all the chopping I did.

I love the skin that is left in the chutney. To me it adds great flavor and also gives great texture.

In fact when cooking the cauliflower with this chutney, those skins give a great texture, tooth and flavor.

And they are very pretty.

[Suvir Saran]

Cathy,

How did you find the yellow tomato chutney?

How do you compare the two versions?

Would you care to share your thoughts on these two versions of the same recipe?

Would love to read your thoughts. Thanks for all your time.

[Deades]

Suvir, I made your chutney yesterday and it was delicious. I used a mixture of tomatoes - Big Beef, ,Brandywine, Red Belgium, Yellow Brandywine and Boxcar Willies. (I planted 12 plants this year assuming I would kill off half - fortunately or unfortunately they have all lived and I am harvesting at least 6-8 lbs of ripe tomatoes daily - needless to say my friends, neighbors and family now avoid me - I also planted zucchini, squash and eggplant.) But back to the chutney - Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This was delicious and I appreciate your generosity in sharing this recipe. I am planning on making a second batch in a few days using beefsteaks only. I plan to pass out at Christmas to all those who are avoiding me at this time.

[CathyL]

Cathy,

How did you find the yellow tomato chutney?

How do you compare the two versions?

Would you care to share your thoughts on these two versions of the same recipe?

Would love to read your thoughts.  Thanks for all your time.  

Suvir, I've been saving the yellow tomato jar for a day when I've been really really good. I predict that will happen this weekend, and I'll post my experience with a comparison.

I'm definitely going to quarter the tomatoes for the next batch.

[Priscilla]

Had shrimp (plain, ordinary shrimp, as per CathyL) the other evening using tomato chutney as the dipping sauce. Really really good!

Thank you, CathyL and Suvir for your kind words. Additional batches are most certainly in the works--I mean, it has to last the entire year, right?

[CathyL]

Priscilla, do try the cauliflower soon - it's so luscious!

[Suvir Saran]

Had shrimp (plain, ordinary shrimp, as per CathyL) the other evening using tomato chutney as the dipping sauce.  Really really good!

Thank you, CathyL and Suvir for your kind words.  Additional batches are most certainly in the works--I mean, it has to last the entire year, right?

Cathy needs to be thanked... She is the Tomato Chutney wiz now...

And yes make plenty for the year.. and also to give as gifts.. people will love you for that.

[CathyL]

Suvir, I tasted your yellow and red tomato chutneys side by side. The yellow is more refined in texture, and the tomato flavor/aroma seems both a bit sweeter and more dominant than in the red. I adore them both, so can't say I prefer one to the other.

A chef friend was over for dinner last night, and I gave her some to taste. She loved it and suggested I serve it with the lamb I was grilling. There was nothing Indian about the lamb - I'd brushed it with a paste of garlic, rosemary, mustard and soy - but the chutney was a perfect accompaniment.

I've given away four of the eight jars I made (including one to Liza, whom I had the great pleasure of meeting yesterday), and will probably make another batch next weekend.

[persiflage]

I made a quarter batch with the addition of adding a tablespoon of urad and channa dal during the frying bit. The fried dal then cooked in with the chutney, adding texture with the mustard seeds.

Don't know how well the dal would store long term with home canning, but it was nice for a quick batch.

Thanks for a great recipe, Suvir.

[Suvir Saran]

I made a quarter batch with the addition of adding a tablespoon of urad and channa dal during the frying bit.  The fried dal then cooked in with the chutney, adding texture with the mustard seeds.

Don't know how well the dal would store long term with home canning, but it was nice for a quick batch.

I love the addition of urad and chana dal. In fact in my small batches I always add it.

For gifting, I am worried not every palate will appreciate the wonderful texture and nutty flavor that the dals add.

I am sure it will stay perfectly well though.

How did you know about the urad and chana dal usage with this chutney? Are you from Southern India? Have you cooked a lot of Southern Indian food? This is fascinating. Actually exciting!

[Suvir Saran]

Thanks for a great recipe, Suvir.

It was a pleasure... and my simply giving a recipe has given this chutney such great prominence and has made the idea of canning and making chutneys become so alive... Thanks to all of you that have tried making it and have posted about it.

[Deades]

Suvir,

I made your tomato chutney for the second time today. It is so delicious that 10 cans are not enough, especially if I plan on giving some away.

Last time I used a mixture of red and yellow tomatoes, simmered for 2 hours as directed and added the full amount of cayenne. The recipe was simple and easy to follow but for the canning. I was scared that the seals would not pop and all that work for naught. Fortunately, all worked out for the best. And I must say that the chutney is delicious. And looks beautiful. This was my first attempt at canning in years so of course all the jars (but one in the refrigerator) so I can admire them and pat myself on the back every now and then. And of course I must exclaim to anyone that walks in the door -"I made that!"

Full of confidence, I repeated the recipe today. This time I used all red tomatoes, the only other change I made was to increase the cayenne pepper by 1/2 tablespoon. I found the last one to be pleasantly spicy, but I wanted a little more kick this time. I have not tried it yet, the jars are on the shelf with the others and look even prettier I must say but I am looking forward to having some with lunch tomorrow.

Thank you again for a wonderful recipe. I always look forward to those that you post.

P.S. My favorite way to eat the chutney so far is with rice and grilled tomatoes - Yumm!

[persiflage]

No, not South Indian. Just like to tinker with recipes. I add fried urad and channa dal to lots of things because I like the crunchy taste.

My favourite thing to do with fried dal lately is this simple salad.

Carrot-Radish salad

Peel and grate 5 carrots and about a quarter of a medium-sized mooli (white daikon radish, about 1lb). Salt about 1/4 tsp and leave to mingle.

Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil over high heat. Sizzle 1/4 tsp hing, and then brown 2-3 tsp mixed split urad and channa dal. When dal is golden brown, toss in 1 tbsp mustard seeds and some crumbled dried red chili. When mustard seeds pop, remove from heat and throw in 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. Quickly wilt coriander and then pour sizzling on top of grated carrots.

Add lemon juice to taste (about one small lemon). Mix well. Chill for 15 minutes and serve.

Variations: subsitute chopped green chili for crumbled red chili, or use both. Throw in chopped ginger and green chili. Try using crushed black pepper for heat instead. Substitute 1 tsp cumin seeds for mustard seeds. Brown a spoonful of sugar in the oil and add lime juice instead of lemon. Or throw in a couple curry leaves.

(I know you're supposed to accompany the radish with ajwain, but there's an aggressive pong about ajwain I don't much care for.)

I make this every few days from whatever odds and ends of herbs and spices are left over from the main dish. It goes nicely with dal and (what else?) tomato chutney.

[Liza]

We made our second batch of Suvir's chutney last night. And I have to come clean: we've used a mixture of red, green, yellow, and orange tomatoes each time. Davy comes home with bags of tomatoes and we just use what's on hand. The variety that we're in love with is Fiderelle - a Sicilian heirloom variety that looks like a Roma on steroids. It's packed with flavor and very dense. In NYC, you can get them from Stokes Farm - they're at Union Square most market days (except Monday I think) and at Tribeca market on Saturdays.

We made the chutney last night and didn't can it at the time. So here's the plan: bring it back to a boil, put it in cans and can per instructions. Does that sound like it will injure as few people as possible?

[CathyL]

We made our second batch of Suvir's chutney last night. And I have to come clean: we've used a mixture of red, green, yellow, and orange tomatoes each time. Davy comes home with bags of tomatoes and we just use what's on hand. The variety that we're in love with is Fiderelle - a Sicilian heirloom variety that looks like a Roma on steroids.

We made the chutney last night and didn't can it at the time. So here's the plan: bring it back to a boil, put it in cans and can per instructions. Does that sound like it will injure as few people as possible?

I think your plan is sound, considering that you've had it properly stored since last night. Why do you think it will last long enough to require canning?

[Sandra Levine]

I shopped today (had to replenish old, tired spices) and will make this tomorrow.

[Liza]

Why do you think it will last long enough to require canning?

We did the full 8 pounds of tomatoes and even Davy can't eat all of that.

[Suvir Saran]

I shopped today (had to replenish old, tired spices) and will make this tomorrow.

And did you make any??

[Suvir Saran]

Why do you think it will last long enough to require canning?

We did the full 8 pounds of tomatoes and even Davy can't eat all of that.

And how did the canning go?

[CathyL]

I recently made my sixth batch of this wondrous chutney, and I think it's the best yet. Suvir gave me permission to use sorry winter tomatoes; I added another 6 oz. can of tomato paste to compensate.

After trying it with the tomatoes either chunked or puréed, I've settled on the latter. The textural contrast with the mustard seeds and the bits of curry leaf is very pleasant.

I also strip the curry leaves off their central vein; in one batch these didn't dissolve into the chutney, and while the taste wasn't affected the appearance was.

Of all the ways I enjoy this chutney, my favorite is to mix it with mayonnaise as a dip for roasted cauliflower.

[Stone]

This may be a silly question, and it should probably be posted somewhere else, but I'm sure I can get an easy answer here: When recipe calls for chopped tomotoes, especially finely chopped, is it assumed that the juice should be drained off? I would expect that, especially with 8 pounds of tomatoes, draining or not draining would have a significant effect on the end product.

[CathyL]

Depends on the recipe. In this case, the tomatoes needn't be peeled, seeded OR drained, just cored.

[Stone]

If the recipe doesn't specify I should just use my best judgment?

[CathyL]

Always a good practice.

When I'm cooking with fresh tomatoes I never drain them unless the recipe says to - e.g., a tomato tartare that would be soup otherwise, especially made with heirloom tomatoes.