Recipes from the Kitchen of Suvir Saran (2/3)

When we were kids, my sister had a good friend Durga whose family was from Andhra Pradesh, an area that is renowned for its pickles and chutneys. Durga’s mother made the best tomato chutney I’ve ever tasted. A couple of years ago, experimenting with some ripe tomatoes and relying on memory, I came up with this recipe which is very close to hers. I always have a jar in the house now. When tomatoes are in season, ripe and bursting with flavor and juice, I make a lot of this so that I can hand it out as gifts. It’s wonderful with just about everything: eggs, vegetables, grilled meats and fish, and on sandwiches. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups canola oil 40 fresh or 60 frozen curry leaves 16 whole, dried red chilies 2 tablespoons black mustard seeds 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (optional) 1/2 teaspoon asafetida 2 tablespoons ground coriander 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper (use 1 tablespoon if you want a milder chutney) 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon sambhaar powder 2 teaspoons turmeric 8 pounds very ripe beefsteak tomatoes, chopped finely 3/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons salt, or more to taste 6-ounce can tomato paste Directions Combine the oil, curry leaves, red chilies, mustard seeds, cumin and fenugreek in a large, deep pot, large enough to hold the tomatoes and then some. (It’s important that the pot be deep because the chutney will splatter.) Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the chilies and cumin darken, about 3 minutes. Add the asafetida and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the coriander, cayenne, paprika, sambhaar powder and turmeric and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir. Add the sugar, salt and tomato paste and stir well. Then cook, stirring every now and then, until the oil has separated and the chutney begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 30 minutes. Spoon the chutney into 10 dry, sterilized half-pint jars and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Or, simply cool and refrigerate. Other Favorite Chutney Recipes from Chef Saran's Kitchen GREEN CHUTNEY Haree Chutney (Makes 1 1/2 cups) Almost every north Indian home makes a version of this recipe that is unique to their family. In many homes, it’s served with every meal. I love this chutney; the last time I was in India I was ecstatically happy for the simple reason that every single day I was able to eat fresh green chutney made with mint, cilantro and green mango. It is made using a Sil Batta (a large rectangular heavy piece of stone, on which a smaller heavy piece of stone is used as the utensil to crush and grind). And this simple ancient equipment is magical, for the chutney is made to whatever smoothness required by the chef, and without need for any water, as would be needed in a blender. This recipe is easy to vary. You can omit the mint and use cilantro alone. Or chopped, green mango if you can find it; it gives the chutney a delicious sour taste. Increase the number of chilies (I have been known to add up to 10) to make a hot pepper chutney. Or you can make a mint chutney by increasing the mint and using less cilantro, (but do include some cilantro or the chutney will taste somewhat bitter). Ingredients 1 1/2 cups firmly packed, chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup firmly packed mint leaves 2 to 3 fresh, hot green chilies, stemmed 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks 1/2 red onion, quartered Juice of 2 lemons 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup water Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process to a puree. (This won’t blend easily; you’ll need to stop and start the blending and stir the ingredients often to get the mixture to catch. You can add a bit more water to facilitate the process but the flavor of the chutney will be milder.) TAMARIND CHUTNEY Imlee Kee Meethe Chutney (Makes about 1 1/4 cups)