SWEET & SPICY APPLE CHUTNEY
Apples are the most popular temperate-zone fruit in the world. With modern storage techniques, they are available year round, but for real apple fanciers there is no time like autumn, when they appear in fresh markets,roadside stalls or for picking in farms.The Apple picking season is in full swing in the months of October & November here.
Ever since the devil tempted Eve with one in the garden of Eden, people have had a hankering for a good apple. The days of the red & the golden delicious varieties have been replaced now with McIntosh, Jonathan, Jonagold,Fujis ,Galas, Winesaps, Rome beauty(premier baking apple),Newton Pippen & Granny Smith(mainly for pies).I remember, not being too fond of this fruit as a kid, since I thought these were the fruits, along with their friend the “musumbi” which accompanied in a basket when you went to meet sick people in the hospital:),never realising there were so many varieties of them.
Will eating an apple a day keep the doctor away? Maybe. Apples are an excellent low calorie source of pectin, fiber, and nutrients. They are said to cleanse the liver and the gallbladder. Apple pectin promotes beneficial intestinal flora and aids digestion. The flavonoids in apples may reduce the risk of heart disease and inhibit the development of certain cancers.
When choosing apples, look for firm crisp fruit with vivid color and a fresh smell. Apples that have been stored too long develop a musty aroma.I chose “Granny Smith” apples for this chutney owing to their tartness.
Apple chutney isn’t an authentically Indian condiment—after all, apples are not native to India, and traditional Indian chutneys are sugar-free and usually raw. Not until the cultural exchange that resulted from Great Britain’s colonization of South Asia would the word “chutney” come to be associated with a cooked-fruit condiment that’s halfway between a jam and a pickle.
Apple chutney hits the tongue in all the right places. It’s sweet, sour, and spicy, all at once, and—when done right—it’s hard to stop eating once you’ve started.How you eat chutney is up to you. Spread it on sandwiches instead of mustard, or slather it on burgers instead of ketchup. Dollop it on crackers with cheese (brie and cheddar are both nice). Swirl it into Greek yogurt for a not-too-sweet afternoon snack.Eat them with idlis, dosas, spread & rolled in chappathis or just eat it plain with a spoon. There’s enough flavor in there that you run no risk of getting bored & whats more you can store this chutney for a period of two weeks & eat it at leisure.
Ingredients
Apples( Granny Smith)- 4(cleaned & cubed)
1 1 Onions (big/finely sliced)
1 tsp 1 Ginger (jullienes)
1/4 cup 1/4 Apple Cider Vinegar
5 tbsp 5 Brown sugar
1/4 tsp 1/4 Pepper flakes/chilli powder
6 6 -8 Raisins
Salt- to taste
Directions
- Mix all the above ingredients & place it on the stove in a vessel.
- Keep stirring gently till the aroma of the sweet softened apples wafts through,& take it out of the heat source.
- One can use it as such with softened cubed apples or run the whole mix in a blender & store it for future use,either way they are authentically delicious.
Sharing links below to my previously published chutney recipes that can for your interest :
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/celery-chutney-dip/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/carrot-paniyaram-with-tomato-onion-chutney/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/red-bell-pepper-chutney/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/green-bell-peppercapsicum-chutney/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/carrot-chutney/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/sweet-spicy-apple-chutney/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/tomato-chutney/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/cranberry-thokku-spicy-cranberry-relish/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/how-to-make-radish-chutney/
Chutneys, go very well with South Indian breakfast items like Idli, Dosa, Paniyaram to name a few. Sharing links below of some of my previously published South Indian breakfast items for your interest.
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/world-idli-day/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/neighee-idlis/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/idli-upma/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/colorful-cocktail-idlis/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/carrot-paniyaram-with-tomato-onion-chutney/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/pancake-puffskuzhi-paniyaram/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/chettinad-cauliflower-masala-dosa/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/mysore-masala-dosa/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/crispy-ragi-dosa-finger-millet-crepe/
- https://stirringmyspicysoul.com/crispy-ragi-dosa-finger-millet-crepe/
