Apple Chutney

The SCS group contacted me recently to dispatch a pack of Apple goodies. The courier arrived last month a day before I went into labor. I have to apologize SCS for this delayed post. As I eagerly unwrapped the sturdy, sexily packaged box, beneath it held beautiful plum red and green Washington apples, each unique in its variety, kind, color and character. As I unpacked the box, I could appreciate the sweet tart essence wafting from these apples. We could barely resist these.

The box came with an information pamphlet and about 7 varieties of apples: Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Honeycrisp. It spoke about the significance and characteristic feature of each apple. A few tart ones, making them perfect for bakes, crisps and cooking and few sweet ones to snack on anytime. You can find the same information on their website 'Washington Apples'.

Recently on a television show, it was shown that most of the imported apples come dipped in a polymer chemical solution which prolongs the life and gives it that glossy healthy shine, also posing a health hazard. These apples did have a glossy shine on them, however I am unable to comment if they went through the same process. Since I did not want to risk, I peeled their skin for the recipe.

We enjoyed most of these. The tart ones were well used in a few recipes to suit our meal and they were well appreciated. The idea came from my mom as she has attempted the same chutney a couple of times with the Indian rural apples which are smaller and tart too. I made an appetizing, tongue-tickling chutney from the Granny Smith Apple which had a good amount of tartness, making it perfect for this lip smacking chutney.

Apple Chutney

INGREDIENTS

1 Granny Smith apple
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)
1 tsp coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
1 tsp asafeotida (hing)
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp jaggery/brown sugar
Juice squeezed from 1/2 a lime
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Clean and core the apple. Peel the skin if required. Dice it to small chunks or bite sized pieces. Marinate with salt and lemon juice and keep them aside till we use them for cooking. This will prevent them from darkening.

Heat a tbsp of vegetable oil in a kadai/frying pan. Add a teaspoon each of nigella seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds and fry briefly till you get a nice aroma from them. If the oil is very hot, it takes about 15-20 seconds. Turn off the flame and quickly stir in the dry powders, the asafeotida, cumin powder, coriander powder and chilli powder. As you do this an amazing aroma from these spices will hit you. Turn off the flame to avoid the spices from burning.

Add in the chopped apple pieces and stir well to coat all spices. Switch on the flame and cook the apples covered on medium low heat for about 15 minutes or till the apples are soft. Add the jaggery/brown sugar to taste. Mash a few pieces so that you get a thick chutney. Cook further for another 5-10 mins. Adjust the salt to taste. You may serve this warm or at room temperature.

You may grate the apples for a finer chutney. We loved those bites from fruit chunks in our chutney. This sweet and tangy chutney goes well with rotis and rice too. It complimented our lunch well and we enjoyed this apple treat. One can hardly identify that this dish is made from a fruit. Thanks to the SCS group for this wonderful gift. We enjoyed the varieties and look forward to more of these in Indian markets.