Thursday, May 31, 2012

Mango Chutney

Chutney refers to a wide-ranging family of condiments from South Asian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spice(s) and vegetable(s) and/or fruit(s). There are many varieties of chutney.

Chutneys may be either wet or dry, and they can have a coarse to a fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. Several Northern Indian languages use the word for fresh preparations only. A different word achār (Hindi: अचार) applies to preserves that often contain oil and are rarely sweet. Vinegar or citrus juice may be added as natural preservatives, or fermentation in the presence of salt may be used to create acid.

In the past, chutneys were ground with a mortar and pestle made of stone or an ammikkal (Tamil). Nowadays, electric blenders or food processors can be used as labor saving alternatives to the traditional stone utensils. Various spices are added and ground, usually in a particular order; the wet paste thus made is sauteed in vegetable oil, usually gingelly or peanut (groundnut) oil.

Mango Chutney, is a speciality of the South Indian coastal state of Andhra Pradesh. Mango chutney can be made in many different ways. Chutney is a tasty sauce, you can have it with your poppadoms or with your main course. Papadum, (also known as papad in Northern India, (Urdu: پاپڑ), pappadam (പപ്പടം) in Malayalam, happala in Kannada, appalam in Tamil, appadum (అప్పడం) in Telugu, pappadum or poppadom in the UK) is a thin, crisp Indian preparation sometimes described as a cracker. It is typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India. It is also eaten as an appetizer or a snack and can be eaten with various toppings such as chopped onions, chutney or other dips and condiments. In some parts of India, it is served as the final item in a meal. In certain parts of India, raw papadums (dried but unroasted) are used in curries and vegetable preparations.

Papadum is a loanword from Malayalam പപ്പടം or Tamil பப்படம் pappaṭam. Both Tamil pappaṭam and Hindi-Urdu पापड़ پاپڑ pāpaṛ are derived from the Sanskrit word पर्पट parpaṭa, which is the name of a medicinal plant, and is also defined as 'a kind of thin cake made of rice or pease-meal and baked in grease' or 'a thin crisp cake'.

Appadam is the word for papad in Telugu. In the Tulu language, spoken in coastal Karnataka, it is called appala. In the Kannada language, a papad is referred to as a happala, and is often made with black gram, jackfruit, and tapioca.


From wikibooks Cookbooks


Mango Chutney

1 large raw (unripe) mango, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
2 tsp mustard seeds
3 tbsp vegetable oil (e.v. olive oil works)
1/2 tsp asafoetida [giant fennel] ("Heengh" in Hindi, "Perungayum" in Tamil)
3-4 dry red chillies

2-3 green chillies (you can add more if you want it spicier)
1 tsp lime juice (if mango is not sour enough)
1 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 tbsp salt (adjust to taste)

Heat the oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, green chillies and red-chillies. Wait till the mustard seeds splutter and remove pan from stove. Grind the above mix with mango, lime juice (if needed) turmeric and salt. Serve with hot rice or bread. Works as an excellent spread on a sandwich. If it is not too spicy then you can serve it as a dip for tortilla chips. You could also serve with yoghurt/curd Typically presented in restaurants in a steel dish with a spoon for serving oneself. Vary amount of salt and spices as needed. Delicious with white meat[pork and/or turkey]

Text Credits: Wikipedia || wikibooksCookbooks

Image Credit: wikimedia

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