Thursday 9 February 2012

Kitchen Krafts - A Bit of Home - How to make Chutney




As all of you South Africans out there can imagine, it is hell without your little bit of Africa, at least in the kitchen, so I set about making my own version of Mrs. B's Chutney. It takes a good day to make.

This is what I did:

Firstly the ingredients:




  • 200g Dried Peaches
  • 300g Dried Apricots
  • 50g Sultanas
  • 1,9l Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1.6kg Sugar
  • 325g Onions
  • 75g Salt
  • 50g Cayenne Pepper
Place the fruit in a pot and cover with the vinegar. Allow to soak overnight.



After soaking through the night, they will look something like this:


Allow to boil in the vinegar for a couple of minutes, until the fruit is soft.


Drain the fruit, but do not throw away the vinegar, you will be using it again after this step!


If you have a processor (mine is still on it's way :-(  ), whiz your fruit into smaller pieces. If you don't have a machine, then chop the fruit by hand - be careful it can be extremely hot!


Return your vinegar to the pot, weigh out your sugar and add it to the vinegar.



Switch your stove back on to a low temperature and stir the sugar and vinegar mixture until it starts to thicken slightly.


Once all the sugar has dissolved, return your fruit to the vinegar solution and add the onions as well.


Measure out the Salt and the Cayenne Pepper (if you want a milder sort of chutney, only add half the amount of the pepper)


Add the salt and cayenne mixture to your pot.


Stir your mixture and allow to simmer for a good 2 hours on a low heat. Be sure to continually stir the pot, otherwise it will start to burn!

This is how it starts to look after about half an hour:


And close on 2 hours:


Prep your containers:


And check the consistency of your chutney, it shouldn't be very runny, if you are used to using chutney (or are South African :-D) you will have a pretty good idea of how it needs to look. It can be misleading by checking it in the pot, so take a spoonful out on to a plate and allow it to cool, you will see immediately if it is good!


Once it is perfect, remove from the stove. I use a potato masher at this point to mush my fruit so that it is more of a jammy consistency, if you like to have the bigger fruit pieces feel free to leave them that way!

Fill into your containers, seal and label:


And you should be sorted for a little while! 

For all of you homesick South Africans out there who are asking themselves how good it is......well the proof is in the pudding so to speak, but I can tell you now that it definitely takes the edge off being away from home having this in your pantry!

What is your recipe, tip or trick from your kitchen this week? Share it below, and leave a comment. It would be wonderful if you could visit one or two of the other posted links as it is always nice to have someone come and see all your efforts.

 Please be sure to link back to this site. If you would like to use this image please feel free to save it and post it on your blog or website.

I will be sharing this at the blogs below, so go on over and have a look at all the other talented people out there!

  

20 comments:

  1. This is amazing my friend!! Please add it over on Creative Friday tomorrow.
    Thanks so much!
    xo xo

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  2. This looks fantastically delicious!!
    ...although there are those of us who aren't South African who LOVE chutney, too! Giggle.

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  3. Hi Heather,

    That is good to know, do you have any recipes to share :-D we can never have enough chutney! In my household, chutney is a staple kitchen cupboard requirement and we have a certain brand in S.A. that I have yet been able to replace with any other taste-wise. When I have managed to get my hands on any kind of chutney here, it wasn't even close to tasting like the one back home, and that used to make me feel terribly homesick!

    Thus the recipe above, very similar to the one back home....you need these small things to complete your home away from home if you know what I mean.

    Thanks for visiting.

    x

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  4. Ooo, looks yummy! We love jam and chutney here abouts, I will have to give this a try. I am so glad you are enjoying your little swap gift and that you are getting settled into your new home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Melissa,

      Thanks for visiting. Yes you must try it, it is reallllllyy yummy if you are like me and can't imagine life without the stuff!

      x

      Delete
    2. It looks so good! I'll have to try making some.

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    3. Hi Fay,

      It is good, do try and let me know what you think.

      Thanks for the visit, have a great weekend.

      x

      Delete
  5. Natalie--I've always wanted to try this recipe: http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes/show/85-glutney
    It looks wonderful, and it's economical, too!
    (I'm sure you DO get very homesick. How long have you been away?)
    XXO-

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    Replies
    1. Hi Heather,

      I agree that chutney does look really yummy, might try it myself!! :-D

      This time round I am in my second month,(moved back to Switzerland after being back home for 5 years) last time round I was here for 14 years and every time I would go on holiday home, I would drag huge containers of my favourite chutney back here, just so I had some for a while :-D

      This time round I am more savy and have figured out Plan B so-to-speak.;-)

      Thanks for the recipe link....

      x

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  6. I must try this chutney!! Thank you for this. I am from Zim and miss good chutney!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kelly, me too :-D born in Bulawayo! Small world this is hey?
      Try it you won't be sorry!

      Thanks for visiting.

      x

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  7. This looks really good! What are your favorite things to spread this on? If you're ever looking for recipes and DIY projects, I'd love for you to visit me {http://www.DomesticFemme.blogspot.com}
    Happy SITS Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi DomesticFemme,
      We use Chutney with all our meaty dishes, the best being sausages and bbq, (I also add it to my sauces to give them that extra yumminess - especially curries and ratatouille) but I do love chutney on a tangy Cheddar cheese sandwich - yummy!
      Thanks so much for visiting.
      x

      Delete
  8. I do love chutney and there are so many types. I'm hoping for a snow day later this year since that is when I do specialty baking and cooking. Enjoy your SITS Day.

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  9. "It takes a good day to make" is all I need to hear to run looking for the nearest restaurant even if all I will get is a cheap knock off version. I know how you feel, though, when you miss the taste of foods you've grown accustomed to and you are no longer conveniently located to access those foods. Whenever I visit my hometown in Michigan, I make sure I stop by at least one of my favorite local restaurants before I head back to the west coast.

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  10. Nom nom nom...love chutney! Happy SITS Day! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

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  11. This looks so yummy! I am a fan of chutney of all kinds! I could certainly use this my friend! Happy SITS day! Hope it is wonderful to you :)

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  12. I'm not sure that I've ever eaten chutney. Hmm. Hope you enjoyed your SITS Day.

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  13. Hi visiting from SITS. I love chutney, this looks yummy I've always want make chutney but I felt like it so hard to do.

    www.imeeseeshoes.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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