Sunday, December 6, 2009

PINEAPPLE AND MANGO CHUTNEY


The only time I would encounter a chutney as a young girl was when we attended a wedding. And most of the time it would be a pineapple chutney.

Another kind of preserve that we have is called acar (pronounced ah-char). It is very similar to a chutney but it has a bigger proportion of vegetables to fruits. The sauce is made using more oil. Its a little sour and very spicy. Usually it is made up of cucumbers, julienned carrots, whole preserved limes, shallots, garlic cloves, whole bird chillies and sesame seeds or crushed peanuts.



And for the past 10 years or so we have seen the addition of little pieces of dried, salted fish. It became the the avant-garde ingredient for acar and added that oh-where-have-you-been-all-my-life oomph. And an acar without salted fish just wouldn't be right nowadays.

Needless to say acar is the preferred vegetable preserve over chutney in Malaysia simply because it is spicy rather than sweet.


However, I am making a chutney now because I was looking for an accompaniment that was on the sweet side for some black and white sesame seed crisps that I made recently. The recipe for the crisps will follow in my next post.


I had made some lovely Baba Ganoush as a dip at first but it lacked that crazy South East Asian spice factor that is a pre-requisite for my idiosyncratic biological make up.


And chutney seemed perfect because it is 'jammy' in texture, the fruits soft, the sauce thick and syrupy and is a little sweet, almost like a delicious jam. But with that wicked spicy edge to it. A perfect dip for those crunchy sesame seed crisps.

Besides I also get to use those lovely jars that I had bought ages ago but have had no occasion to use quite yet. Until now that is.



The recipe.................

1 small pineapple, peeled and cubed
3 medium mangoes slightly underipe, peeled and cubed
5 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 white onion, diced
1 inch ginger, grated finely
1 green chillie, cut into chunks
1 sweet red pepper, diced largish pieces
some raisins (optional)
2 T curry powder or less if you prefer mixed with some water into a slurry
1/2 cup pineapple vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T of mustard seeds
The zest and juice of 1 lemon (optional)

2 T cooking oil

Heat oil in a medium pan until hot but not smoking. Saute the diced onions and garlic and ginger and mustard seeds until fragrant. Pour in the curry powder slurry and stir to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan. Saute for about 6 minutes or more until the curry spice turns a darker shade is cooked well and fragrant.

Throw in the fruits, chillies, peppers, raisins and stir to mix well. Add the cider vinegar and brown sugar and mix again.

Let the mixture simmer and allow the the sauce to reduce to a thick and syrupy consistency. Add salt, the lemon zest and juice towards the end and cook a little while more to incorporate. Taste and adjust.

Leave to cool completely before storing.

This chutney is delicious eaten with the sesame crisps that I will be showing in my next post soon as a snack or a cocktail or as an appetizer. YUM...

29 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Zurin mango an pineapple go really well together thanks for this Pierre
http://pierre.cuisine.over-blog.com

Ju (The Little Teochew) said...

Oh, I AM Looking forward to your next post! In the meantime, can I have one of those jars of chutney? Pretty please? Because you made them completely irresistible with your description of them. And of course, they look exactly as you described. Golden and jammy and oh-so-yummy! Wonderful, Zu!!!!

Angie's Recipes said...

These chutney make a perfect holiday gift. I love mango chutney!

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

I never prepare chutney at home before, pineapple and mango are my favourite, I'm thinking to prepare this soon, and need to see your next post first.Thanks for sharing.

tracieMoo said...

It's a very interesting post. I like the idea of pineapple and mango. Sounds deli. And there's alot to do with so many jars of chutney.. looking forward to hear about it!

Xiaolu said...

Mmm I love sweet and savory/spicy, so this sounds and looks great! Sesame is a favorite of mine too. I can't wait for your crisps post.

Cathy said...

I'm a big chutney fan and love mango, but have never combined it with pineapple. This sounds like a delicious recipe.

La Table De Nana said...

It would be good with so many things!! Thanks so much for the recipe AND the photos:)The crisps look amazing too:)

Quinn said...

Adui....air liur meleleh la Zu....which part of Malaysia do you live in? Nanti I balik holiday, we meet up la okay? I want three course meal and a dessert as well!

ann low said...

Hi Zurin,
This look so delicious and perfect. Wish I can try some now :)

Pei-Lin said...

Mangoes and pineapples in chutney sounds so good! Sweet and tangy ... just what a good chutney should be ... Can I take home a jar please?

Pei-Lin

KennyT said...

Wow, this chutney looks so yummy. How long can it be stored? I love the bottles u use, so cute.

Ozoz said...

Love the jars....and love chutney, though I'm allergic to pineapple!kitchenbutterfly.com

Unknown said...

Your jars are so pretty, I love them, and I love the way you speak about this recipe,and I love the color, it's so difficult to write in english for me so I just say a word GORGEOUS !

Anonymous said...

ahhh. achar! i LOVE achar.
its so tangy and refreshing.
love how you described it :)
mm mango and pineapple! ;)

3 hungry tummies said...

perfect as a Christmas gift!

Faida said...

Aunty, see what you've done.. I'm salivating early morning.When can I fetch my share?

Bren said...

The way you describe the chutney is so.. like able to activate my salivary glands...drooling.. I can taste the sweet and sourish chutney now :)yum!

Anonymous said...

Pineapple and mango are such great combination for chutney. It['s a recipe for success. Sweet and sour. So refreshing.

Ninette said...

Pretty in their little jars!

Zurin said...

Thank you so much for taking the time to drop by and leave such kind words. Every comment puts a smile on my face and this blog would never be the same without all of you precious people. From my heart........xxx Zurin

Cakebrain said...

Those jars look like the perfect Christmas gift to give! It looks delicious!

Astrid (Mrs.B) said...

Those jars with the chutney look lovely. I think it would make great christmas presents!

Through My Kitchen Window said...

Spicey and oh so nicey. Looks delish.

Nadia said...

LOVE the containers!! LOL ok so now i know where i get the 'buy but don't know what to use it for until the purpose presents itself one day' LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL (applying that to my whimsical bowl) i tell the kids, "I feel whimsical." then i use the bowls LOLOLOLOL

Elin Chia said...

Zurin thanks for the recipe...I heart mango chutney what more pineapple and mango...great combo. Will try this out soon:)

Unknown said...

Have you ever seen somebody lick the chutney spoon in an Indian Restaurant and put it back? This would never have happened under the Tories.

Jess said...

Hi Zurin, I have just made this chutney and it is absolutely delicious!!!(Thank you so much!) I plan to make a big batch as X'mas gift for friends - how long do you think they can keep in or out of the fridge?

Zurin said...

Hi Jess,

im not sure xactly how long it wl keep. But i did have it in the fridge for about 3 weeks and it was ok :) glad you liked it :))it made my day !

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