Ammiji’s Rasbhari Chutney

 Big, fat, golden rasbharis, made into a sweet-sour-spicy chutney. Because jams are passé and chutneys are here to stay.

 Spring was the season that Ammiji’s garden burst into bloom. It was also the season that big cane baskets of ripe Cape Gooseberries arrived in Ammiji’s verandah. Before neat bunches of peeled Rasbhari appeared on fruit carts, the fruit was delivered with the peels on. And wouldn’t you guess it – it was the job of us kids to peel them. Ammiji’s strict instructions about not bruising them while peeling fell to deaf ears. And there was no question of bruising – we ate all the rasbharis that were even slightly marked during the peeling. (We also ate a lot that were perfectly fine, but we don’t tell that to Ammiji.)

 Once the rasbharis were peeled, Ammiji placed them in small bowls around the house – to be eaten as is. But she reserved a large amount of them to make one of her favourite chutneys. Ammiji’s Rasbhari Chutney lasted us throughout the early summer. We would sit in front of the cooler, and eat the chutney with thin, cold ajwain paranthas and the season’s first melons.

 For us, the Rasbhari Chutney is not just another chutney – it is nostalgia and emotion and memory in a jar. It is a grandmother’s passion for giving her children and grandchildren the best that she could, with whatever resources she laid her hands on. And we hope to replicate her passion with this chutney.

 Ammiji’s recipe for her Rasbhari Chutney not only has the super nutritious cape gooseberries, but also incorporates raw turmeric, bolstered by cumin and black pepper. Each spoon of this chutney will not only provide you with deliciousness, but with the good intentions of a grandmother’s heart.

Pair this chutney with anything that your heart desires. We promise that it will taste good on any plate that you want to put it on!

Ingredients: Cape gooseberries, Salt, Jaggery, Sugar, Lemon, Cumin, Cinnamon, Fenugreek seeds, Bay leaves, Raw turmeric, Black pepper, Mustard Oil

 Weight: 200 gm

 Price: Rs 500 400

 Good for: 3 months

Keep this chutney refrigerated. Use only a clean, dry spoon to scoop out Ammiji’s deliciousness.

Angoor khattey hain? Not quite! Khatti, meethi, teekhi and finger-lickin’ good!

 Ammiji made a chutney out of every fruit that ever crossed her tongue. And while we slowly weasel out her precious recipes from her, we bring to you her favourite chutney recipes that she’s already shared with us.

Her one instruction when we tried this Black Grape chutney recipe out for the first time was, “Cheeni hath khich ke!” or “Be stingy with the sugar!” And we were. We not only used minimal sugar in our first try, but we replaced three-fourths of the sugar with jaggery in the second try. What resulted was a chutney that tasted distinctly of earthy black grapes, with the kick of mustard and white pepper and the umami of jaggery, all neatly bound together with a tinge of lemon.

 This delicious chutney can be paired with paranthas, roti, dal-chawal, biryani…anything, really! Or take a tip from us – eat it with some wholewheat crackers. Yes, you can use it as part of your cheeseboard too – it tastes awesome with brie!

Made from fresh seasonal black grapes, this chutney is proof that wine is not the only delicious thing that can be made with black grapes. :D

 Ingredients: Black grapes, Jaggery, Sugar, Salt, White Pepper, Lemon, Bay leaves, Cumin, Yellow Mustard, Mustard Oil

Weight: 140 gm

 Price: Rs 350

Good for: 3 months

Keep this chutney refrigerated. Use only a clean, dry spoon to scoop out Ammiji’s deliciousness.

We turn onions into gold with this chutney. Layers of slowly built flavor; a sweet and spicy umami taste that you won’t be able to resist.

Any seasoned cook will tell you the magic that a medium slow flame will do to onions. Slowly browning them till science takes over – caramelization turns the natural sugar present in onions into new, simpler sugar molecules and the Maillard reaction ensures that layers upon layers of flavor and aroma are built up. You don’t need to know the science to know that the result is a mellow, melting, soft hot mess! Pungent raw onions have turned into sweet, brown gold.

Ammiji’s recipe for her classic Onion Chutney takes that sweet, brown gold, adds more layers of flavor to it with garlic and ginger, and then even more with curry leaves, resulting in a condiment that’s too complex to describe, but is one of the best things you’ll ever scoop out of a jar. The natural sweetness of caramelized onions is magnified by the addition of organic jaggery, and then balanced by the tanginess of amchur, anardana and tamarind. So much goodness in one little jar – you have to taste it to believe it!

Ammiji’s Caramelized Onion Chutney is as desi as it comes – so it’ll go with any of your regular meals. But it’s also versatile, so there’s ample room to get inventive with it. Layer your burgers and sandwiches with it for a seriously good umami kick. Add it to your cheeseboard (pair it with cheddar and you’ll be in heaven!), add it to a marinade instead of barbeque sauce, stir it into a stir-fry, or just eat it plain. The sky is literally the limit when it comes to this gorgeous chutney. One of our favorites here at Ammiji’s kitchen, as you can undoubtedly tell. :)

Ingredients: Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Jaggery, Dry Mango Powder, Pomegranate seeds, Tamarind, Curry Leaves

Weight: 175 gms

Price: Rs 500 400

Good for: 6 months

Keep Refrigerated. (This chutney contains no preservatives.)

Always use a clean, dry spoon while scooping out Ammiji’s legendary chutneys!

The perfect way to add some spice and tang to your meals. And so much deliciousness!

This one’s for those of you who appreciate the yin and yang of life. The black and white. The khatta and meetha. The teekha and addictive. Okay, we could go on and on.

Ammiji’s intolerance for bland, unaccompanied meals is legendary. We, her grandkids, knew that we’d never be served a meal at her table that wasn’t accompanied by a chutney, a pickle or some special thing that she had brewed up. And as kids, one of our favorites was this addictive Lemon Chutney. It was khatta enough to make your toes curl, and meetha enough to have with the last bite of our meal. And it was totally addictive. So much so, that we finished it faster than Ammiji could make it, often making her mutter, “Khasma nu khaaney, sungh lende ne inoo!” (Roughly translates too: *Mild slur*, they inhale this chutney!) That we did.

And once you get your hands on this spectacular chutney, we’re sure you’ll be inhaling it too. It took us a while to tweak Ammiji’s original recipe so that we could substitute sugar with jaggery and still make it as delicious, and we seem to have done it. 

Slow-cooked lemon pulp and juice, sweetened with jaggery and spiced up sparingly. Put this on your shelf stat!

Ingredients: Lemon, Jaggery, Salt, Black Salt, Red Chilli, Garam Masala, Mustard Oil.

Weight: 225 gms

Price: Rs 450 350 (inclusive of taxes)

Good for: 3 months

Keep Refrigerated. (This chutney contains no preservatives.)

Always use a clean, dry spoon while scooping out Ammiji’s legendary chutneys!

The rains hit India, and the entire country goes into a frenzy of deep frying. Because there’s nothing better than to be munching on piping hot pakodas while it’s pouring outside. Unless, the pakodas are accompanied by our brand new Aam Kasundi – that combination is infinitely better than anything else can ever be!

The goodness and sharpness of fermented mustard seeds are combined with the typical flavors of raw mango, green chilli and ginger to make a mustard sauce that’s a Bengali staple. Spread it on your sandwiches, dip your fried snacks in it or put it into your burgers – it’s a dip/spread that is as delicious as it is versatile.

Mustard comes with a host of benefits from promoting heart health to strengthening bones and aiding digestion. And when it is fermented, the goodness just doubles.

Ditch your bottled tomato ketchup in favour of a dip that’s not only nutritious, traditional and delicious, but is also homemade and preservative-free.

Ingredients: Raw mango, Black mustard, Yellow mustard, Ginger, Green Chilli, Coriander, Cumin, Turmeric, Salt

Weight: 185 gms

They say that the Bengalis have a chutney for every season. But for the post monsoon season, when the mangoes have faded away, raw papaya shines in the chutney section of the Bengali meal. Crisp raw papaya is cooked till it becomes transparent – and some call it the “Plastic Chutney” for just this reason. We prefer to call it the Pepe Chutney. “Pepe” is Bengali for papaya.

The unpretentious Plastic Chutney was elevated to a royal level when a prominent hospitality chain started serving it in their opulent Indian restaurant. We’ve taken that recipe, added our own saffron-flavored twist to it, and come up with a deliciously luxuriant version that no one will believe is made from the humble papaya.

When Ammiji tasted this chutney (yes, the recipe is not hers but she will vet anything that goes out in her name) she closed her eyes and then opened them hurriedly before we caught her at it. Of course, we didn’t miss the expression of satisfaction on her face but declined to comment on it. “Is it good?” we asked. She pretended to think for a bit. We waited on feigned tenterhooks. “Theek hai,” she finally said, which in her language meant that it was wholeheartedly approved. She kept the jar in her kitchen, pretending that it was an ordinary thing to do. We knew then that what we had in this chutney was pure love.

This sweet chutney is flavored strongly with nigella seeds and saffron, and it has added raisins for texture play. It goes well with all your meals – with paranthas, with dal chawal, even atop crackers with feta cheese! (The aforementioned restaurant served it with rich Awadhi biryanis and curries!)

We bet you – one spoonful of this chutney will definitely not be enough.

Ingredients: Raw Papaya, Raisins, Sugar, Himalayan pink salt, Lemon Juice, Red chilli, Cumin, Nigella seeds, Aniseed, Saffron

Weight: 150 gms

Good for: 3 months when refrigerated

Usage: Store in Refrigerator.