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Indian cooking / Dishes / Gooseberry Chutney
Gooseberry Chutney ()

Gooseberry Chutney

VegetarianMakes ABOUT 450 G (1 LB)

A tangy, jam-like gooseberry chutney scented with fennel, onion seed and Kashmiri chilli. Sugar and salt balance the fruit's sourness.

Whole spices for the oil

10 gAdded to the hot oil at the start (step 2)
Keep whole: add them to the oil together.

Turmeric for the pan

6 gStirred in after the whole spices (step 3)
01
6 g2 teaspoons
spice
Keep ground: add it once the whole spices have sizzled.

Everything else

01
183 g200 ml
oil/fat
02
Gooseberry · Amlafresh or frozen
500 g
fruit
03
to taste
salt
04
to taste
sweetener

Method

  1. Heat 183 g vegetable oil in a heavy pan over medium heat.
  2. Add the whole spices for the oil and stir briefly.
  3. Add the turmeric for the pan and stir continuously for 30 seconds, taking care not to let it burn.
  4. Add 500 g gooseberry, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes, until thick and jam-like.
  5. Season to taste with sea salt and caster sugar, adding enough sugar to balance the sourness.
  6. Pack into sterilised jars and refrigerate; use within 2 weeks.

Don't have something?

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Fennel seed
  • Aniseed

    Use 75% of the weight. Fry in hot oil or ghee; has a sharper, more pronounced liquorice flavour, so use a lighter hand.

  • Ground fennel seed

    Use 60% of the weight. Stir into the sauce with ground masalas; provides identical sweet aniseed flavour without whole seed crunch.

  • Star anise

    Use one point (single carpel) per 1 g of fennel seeds. Simmer in gravies and remove before serving; gives a deeper, woodier liquorice aroma.

Nigella seeds
  • Black cumin seeds

    Use equal weight. Imparts an earthy, slightly bitter note in temperings, though it lacks nigella's oniony sharpness.

  • Black sesame seeds

    Use equal weight. Gives a similar speckled appearance and light crunch on breads, but provides a nutty rather than herbaceous, onion-like flavour.

Dried kashmiri chilli
  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 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 chilli

    Use 35% to 40% of the weight; discard seeds before tearing into oil to temper. Delivers a much fiercer heat, with significantly less red colouring.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Gooseberry
  • Star gooseberry

    Use the same weight; it is more sour and astringent, so taste and add sugar. Good for chutney or pickle.

  • Green apple

    Use the same weight, sliced; add a little lemon juice to sharpen. Softer and less astringent.

  • Raw mango

    Use the same weight, grated; sharper sourness, so reduce any lemon or tamarind in the recipe.

Caster sugar
  • Granulated sugar

    Use the same weight. It is slightly coarser, so stir a little longer to dissolve; in baking, grind briefly if a fine texture matters.

  • Demerara sugar

    Use 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 sugar

    Use the same weight; crush or grate jaggery first. It darkens the dish and adds molasses flavour, so reduce other liquid slightly.

Similar dishes

Torched Mackerel with Gooseberry Chutney
It tastes of sharp-sweet gooseberry chutney with oily charred mackerel, mustard heat, crunchy almonds and pickled cucumber, while this dish is only a tangy jam-like chutney scented with fennel, onion seed and Kashmiri chilli.
  • Same: Both use gooseberry, onion seed, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, caster sugar, salt and vegetable oil to make a tangy chutney.
  • Different: It adds mackerel fillet, mustard oil, kasundi mustard, ginger, flaked almonds, cucumber, pickling liquor, bay leaf, green chilli, chaat masala and coriander, lacks fennel seed, uses kashmiri chilli powder instead of dried kashmiri chilli, and uses 200 g gooseberry versus 500 g in this dish.
Pumpkin Pickle
Pumpkin Pickle is sweet-sour and chilli-hot from vinegar and jaggery, while this dish is tangy and jam-like from gooseberry with fennel, onion seed, chilli and sugar-salt balance.
  • Same: Pumpkin Pickle shares vegetable oil, onion seed, dried Kashmiri chilli, turmeric and sugar with this dish.
  • Different: Pumpkin Pickle uses pumpkin, white distilled vinegar, Kashmiri chilli powder and jaggery or caster sugar, while this dish uses gooseberry, fennel seed, sea salt and caster sugar and has no vinegar.
Kamrakh ka Achar
Star Gooseberry Pickle
Kamrakh ka Achar tastes hotter, garlicky, savoury and vinegar-sharp, while this dish tastes tangier and jam-like with sugar balancing the gooseberry and mild Kashmiri chilli.
  • Same: Kamrakh ka Achar shares vegetable oil, dried chilli and a sour gooseberry fruit with this dish, and both are cooked in spiced oil with salt.
  • Different: It adds garlic, garlic paste, curry leaf, mustard seed, chilli powder and white malt vinegar, and it lacks this dish's sugar, turmeric, fennel seed and onion seed.
Grilled Sea Bream with Coconut & Coriander Chutney
Grilled Sea Bream with Coconut & Coriander Chutney tastes savoury and tender with a bright, herby, lightly spicy coconut chutney, while this dish tastes tangy and jam-like with gooseberry sourness balanced by sugar and warm fennel, onion seed and Kashmiri chilli.
  • Same: Grilled Sea Bream with Coconut & Coriander Chutney shares vegetable oil, dried Kashmiri chilli, onion seed, fennel seed, ground turmeric, sea salt and caster sugar with this dish.
  • Different: Grilled Sea Bream with Coconut & Coriander Chutney is a griddled and grilled whole fish with a spiced salt marinade and a fresh coconut-coriander chutney soured with lime and lemon juice, while this dish is a cooked gooseberry chutney soured by the fruit and thickened to a jam-like consistency, with no fish, coconut, coriander, lime or lemon.