Plum Tomato Chutney

Plum Tomato Chutney

Tomato chutney is a must to have delicacy during any occasions in a Bengali household in India.  It is extremely popular in Bengal as well as in other places like Andhra though the preparations is little different in different places. In Bengal, it is sweet chutney, can have different variations as per the season but a must when there are guest for lunches or even for Sunday lunch. It is all time favourite item in the Pujo Bhog for Durga Pujo, Lakshmi Pujo or Kali Pujo along with Kichudi.

Though this chutney can be cooked with different ingredients such as Apples, Dates, Aam shotto (Sweet Mango sheets), sultanas, etc etc and served as an accompaniment with rice, Nan, chapattis, fried rice or Pulao. Here is my recipe of Tomatoes cooked with plum….very easy and a quick one.

Ingredients:

2 Big juicy Tomatoes- chopped

4 Juicy Plums- seeded and chopped

2 green chillies chopped finely, if you have a kid at home than you can take the seeds out or just could put a slit length wise

4 tbsp of grated fresh root ginger

½ tsp lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Bay leaves

A pinch of salt (black salt tastes even better)

6-7 tbsp of soft brown sugar / half cup of jaggery,  depending on how sweet you want it to be. I used half cup of jaggery plus 2 tbsp of soft brown sugar. It gives a caramelised taste to it. If you do not have both of them in your pantry, don’t worry. You can use normal white sugar by all means.

1 tsp of plain vinegar (optional)

A pinch of freshly grounded black pepper

2 tsp vegetable oil.

A pinch of mustard seeds (optional). Well, it is a must at my mum’s and in laws place but I haven’t used any.

Direction:

Heat the oil in a deep bottom sauce pan.  

Add the bay leaves and grated ginger and green chillies to it and stir. Also the mustard seeds if you want them.

 After few seconds, add the chopped tomatoes and plums and give it a good mix and cover with a lid.

Take out the lid after around 4-5 minutes and stir well. By this time the tomatoes and plums will start melting and a lot of liquid will be released.

Keep on stirring on low flame.  It will help in melting the tomatoes quickly.

Sprinkle the salt and the lemon zest now, mix it. You can see the sauce sort of thing by now. This is the chutney forming.

Pour in the lemon juice and vinegar. You can add the sugar/jaggery now. Give it a good mix. Cover the lid for another 2-3 minutes.

Take out the lid, grind the black pepper on it and stir.  Switch the heat off now.

Check and adjust the seasoning. The tanginess from the lemon and vinegar and the sweet from the jaggery and sugar give a nice flavour to the chutney. And the salt really brings out the flavour.

You can store this chutney for 2-3 days in a jar.

Now the variations:

With Sweet Mango slices- It will give mango tanginess plus an amazing colour to it.

With Dates: Richer and heavy

With sultanas:  Loved by children and elders a lot.

With Apples: it is more in mass and sweet too

More towards British version

You can add strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and cherries too….not tried yet but they are surely in my list. Let me know if you try one.

Happy Cooking!!!