😋 Plum Chutney anyone? 😋

Plum (Aloo Bukhara) Chutney

I love stone fruits like plums, peaches, cherries, nectarines, and apricots that our beautiful California summers offer! Our tall plum tree in the front yard, bears some fruit each year, but exclusively for the birds and squirrels who can climb or fly up high and get them, before I can get my hands on them. Of course, I can also buy the delicious organic fruit from the farmers markets every year, but this year due to Covid 19, I have not ventured out to the markets yet. Luckily for me, a dear friend shared some of her tree’s bounty with me. They were more than I could eat, so I decided to make some chutney, so I can relish the sweet and tart plums as a relish in a “chutney avatar”! Here is how I made it, enjoy!

Plum (Aloo Bukhara) Chutney

Recipe

Ingredients: * 15 plums ( I used 14 cherry sized plums and 2 regular sized big plums * 1/3 cup jaggery (adjust as per your taste) * 4 or 5 dates or 1/3 cup dried cranberries ( I used cranberries) * 1 inch or more chopped ginger * 4 - 5 bedgi or Kashmiri chillies * 1 tsp jeera, * 1 tsp Chilli pd (adjust to your taste) * 1/2 tsp Roasted coriander powder * 1 or 2 cloves pd ( I used 1) * Salt to taste Seasoning: * 2 teaspoons oil * I teaspoon mustard seeds * A pinch of hing (asfoetida) * 6 - 8 curry leaves

Steps: 1. Wash and dry the plums, deseed and chop into pieces and transfer to pan. 2. Add in 1/3 cup jaggery, the bedgi or Kashmiri chillies broken into bits and cook on med heat until it comes to a boil. 3. After 3 minutes, add in the jeera, and the salt to taste and continue cooking. Stir every once in a while. 4. Roast the coriander seeds and clove on dry heat in a pan or microwave. ( I put it in the microwave for about 15 seconds.) Powder coarsely and add into the plum mixture. Continue cooking the mixture. 5. When the mixture thickens, taste and adjust flavors as per your tastebuds. I added another tablespoon of jaggery and some more chilli powder as we like it spicy, and I adjusted the salt as well. Cook for 3 minutes more. 6. Cool completely and blend the mixture. 7. Heat oil and prepare seasoning with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a pinch of hing. 8. Pour the seasoning over the plum chutney and enjoy as an accompaniment with Idlis, Dosa, Rotis, parathas etc. This stays good for about 3 weeks in the fridge.

Notes: * You can make the same with an assortment of sweet and tart fruit as a combination or by itself. * I have also made this chutney with other spice combinations as well. - dry roast and powder a teaspoon of mustard seeds, 5 or 6 fenugreek seeds (Methi), 5 or 6 red chillies (you can add more or less as per your spice level), 1/2 tsp of coriander seeds, 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds. Add this spice powder to the cooked and simmered plums which have cooked to a pulp, with salt and sugar or jaggery to taste, and a seasoning of mustard, curry leaves and hing, and its ready to go!! - In another variation, heat a tablespoon of oil, season a 1/4 teaspoon of mustard, 1/4 teaspoon of jeera, 1/2 teaspoon of nigella seeds (kalonji), 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds, after they splutter add in the chopped plums ( about 10). Sauté cover and cook till it comes to a boil, next add about a tsp of chilli powder ( or more as per your taste), 3 tbsps of sugar or jaggery ( more or less depending on the tartness of the fruit) and 1/2 tsp of Haldi pd (turmeric) and a pinch of black pepper, some black salt and salt to taste. Cook some more till it is cooked to a pulp/ sauce consistency. - Any of the variations is good to use for about 3 weeks. Trust me, it will be long gone by then! 😋