Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Sarson ki Chutney
Sarson ki Chutney (Mustard Chutney)

Sarson ki Chutney

Mustard Chutney
VegetarianOrigin NewPrep 20 minutesMakes 125g / 4½oz

A sharp, pungent Indian condiment made with mustard and citrus. It delivers an intense, fiery kick balanced by brisk acidity.

Chutney spices

83 gMixed with the liquids (step 1)
Stir together to blend evenly.

Everything else

01
31 g2 tablespoons
souring agent
02
20 g4 teaspoons
souring agent
03
9 g2 teaspoons
oil/fat
04
to taste
salt

Method

  1. In a wide mixing bowl, combine 30.6 g lemon juice, 20 g white malt vinegar, and the chutney spices, then season to taste with salt.
  2. Whisk constantly while drizzling in 9 g vegetable oil until fully integrated and smooth. Use on the day it is prepared.

Don't have something?

Mustard powder
  • Ground mustard seed

    Use equal weight. Finely grind whole black or yellow mustard seeds in a spice grinder; yellow gives milder heat, black gives stronger pungency.

  • Mustard seeds

    Use equal weight, crushed to a paste with a splash of water using a pestle and mortar. Adds a similar sharp bite.

Mustard seed
  • Black mustard seed

    Use the same weight. The seeds are smaller and hotter; fry in hot oil until they pop, about 20–30 seconds, and reduce the heat if they darken too fast. The dish will be a little sharper.

  • Yellow mustard seeds

    Use the same weight. They are milder and larger; fry a few seconds longer until they pop. The finished dish will have less pungency.

  • Ground mustard seed

    Use 70% of the weight of whole seed, added with the other ground spices rather than fried whole. You lose the popping texture and the heat comes through more evenly.

Lemon juice
  • Lime juice

    Use equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.

  • White vinegar

    Use 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.

White malt vinegar
  • White vinegar

    Use 90% of the weight. It is sharper and lacks the mild malty grain undertone, so temper with a tiny pinch of sugar if needed.

  • Lemon juice

    Use 100% of the weight. Best for marinades or quick chutneys; imparts fresh citrus flavour instead of fermented acidity.

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.

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.

Similar dishes

Kairi ki Chutney
Raw Green Mango Chutney
Kairi ki Chutney tastes fiery, earthy, and fruity-sour rather than delivering this dish's sharp, nasal mustard pungency and pure citrus acidity.
  • Same: Kairi ki Chutney shares the use of mustard powder, ground turmeric, salt, and vegetable oil.
  • Different: Kairi ki Chutney is built on cooked green mango rather than a mustard powder base, swaps lemon juice and vinegar for fruit acidity, and adds fenugreek, asafoetida, heavy chilli powder, and a tempered lentil finish.
Tamatar ka Achar
Tomato Pickle
Tamatar ka Achar is deeply sour and intensely fiery from tamarind and red chillies, while this dish offers a direct, sinus-clearing mustard burn balanced by brisk vinegar and citrus acidity.
  • Same: Both condiments use mustard powder and ground turmeric to build a sharp, pungent base.
  • Different: Tamatar ka Achar is cooked with tamarind extract, massive amounts of red chilli powder, fenugreek, and a fried dal tempering, whereas this dish is mixed raw using lemon juice, white malt vinegar, and vegetable oil.
Curry Leaf Mayonnaise
Curry Leaf Mayonnaise tastes rich, creamy and herby with gentle warmth and a mild mustardy tang; this dish tastes sharply pungent, fiery and briskly sour from mustard and citrus.
  • Same: Curry Leaf Mayonnaise shares mustard seed, turmeric, vegetable oil and lemon juice with this dish. Both include mustard as a seasoning and turmeric as a spice.
  • Different: Curry Leaf Mayonnaise is an egg-yolk emulsion with curry leaf oil, fresh curry leaves, dried Kashmiri chilli and caster sugar; this dish is a loose mustard condiment with mustard powder, malt vinegar and no egg or chilli.
Goawali Machchali
Goan Fish Curry
Goawali Machchali has a milder mustard pungency and softer citrus tang than this dish, balanced by the aromatic heat of ginger and green chillies.
  • Same: Goawali Machchali shares mustard powder, ground turmeric, salt, and citrus juice with this dish.
  • Different: Unlike this uncooked condiment made with vegetable oil and vinegar, Goawali Machchali is a simmered fish curry prepared with garlic, ginger, and fresh green chillies.