
Chilli Garlic Chutney
A hot, tangy chilli-garlic chutney made from Kashmiri chillies soaked in malt vinegar and blended with garlic and oil. It tastes fiery and sour, with a rounded savoury garlic note and a little sugar-salt balance.
Soaked chilli masala
500 gSoaked in vinegar overnight and blended (steps 1–2)Garlic paste
200 gBlended with oil (step 3)Everything else
Method
- For the soaked chilli masala, soak 500 g dried kashmiri chilli in 507 g malt vinegar overnight.
- Blend the soaked chilli masala to a smooth paste.
- For the garlic paste, blend 200 g garlic cloves, gradually adding 45.6 g vegetable oil, to a smooth paste.
- Stir the soaked chilli masala and garlic paste together.
- Season to taste with caster sugar and sea salt.
- Pack into sterilised jars and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
- Bring to room temperature before serving.
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Dried kashmiri chilli

Kashmiri chilli powderUse 1 g powder for every 1.5 g whole dried chilli; whisk with a spoonful of warm water and stir into the masala to provide identical ruby colour and mild heat.
Dried red chilliUse 35% to 40% of the weight; discard seeds before tearing into oil to temper. Delivers a much fiercer heat, with significantly less red colouring.

Malt vinegar

White malt vinegarUse the same weight; sharper and clearer; reduce salt slightly.
White vinegarUse 90% of the weight, diluted with 10% water; harsher, so taste.
Lime juiceUse the same weight; fresher sourness but no malt flavour; reduce salt.

Garlic clove

Garlic pasteUse the same weight; about 1 clove weighs 3 g, so 3 g paste per clove.
Crushed garlicUse the same weight; crush just before adding so the flavour stays fresh.
Garlic powderUse one-third of the weight, about 1 g powder for 3 g fresh clove; add a little water if the recipe needs moisture.

Vegetable oil

Peanut oilUse 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
GheeUse 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oilUse 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Caster sugar

Granulated sugarUse the same weight. It is slightly coarser, so stir a little longer to dissolve; in baking, grind briefly if a fine texture matters.
Demerara sugarUse the same weight, but dissolve it earlier as it is coarser. It adds a light caramel note and a little colour.
Ground jaggery or soft brown sugarUse the same weight; crush or grate jaggery first. It darkens the dish and adds molasses flavour, so reduce other liquid slightly.
Similar dishes

- Same: Sticky Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce shares Kashmiri chilli, vegetable oil, caster sugar and salt with this dish.
- Different: It adds cumin seed and uses mild chilli powder or paprika, and it lacks garlic and malt vinegar; it is thickened by reducing sugar syrup, not by soaking and blending dried chillies.

- Same: Sirkewalli Mirch shares with this dish a base of chillies soured with vinegar and balanced with caster sugar and salt.
- Different: Sirkewalli Mirch pickles whole mixed chillies in white wine vinegar with black peppercorns, yellow mustard seeds and bay, while this dish blends soaked dried Kashmiri chillies with garlic and vegetable oil.

- Same: Molagai shares a chilli-forward savoury profile with this dish, using vegetable oil and salt as core ingredients.
- Different: Molagai is a gram-flour batter fritter filled with whole green chillies and amchoor, while this dish is a blended chutney of dried Kashmiri chillies, malt vinegar, garlic and sugar.

- Same: Sirkewalla Mirch Aur Dhania shares vinegar, chilli, sugar and salt with this dish as a chilli condiment.
- Different: Sirkewalla Mirch Aur Dhania uses fresh green bird's-eye chilli, coriander leaf and stem, and white wine vinegar, and it is loosened with water; it lacks garlic, vegetable oil and dried Kashmiri chillies, which this dish uses with malt vinegar.














