1,000 Indian Recipes (73 page)

Amchur ki Sonth

Makes about 4 cups

This probably is the most traditional and also the most labor-intensive way of making
sonth
, but it is worth all the extra steps, because the final product comes out silky smooth and totally devoid of any fiber.

We start by boiling dried mango pieces in a pressure cooker (or in a pot) until they are very soft, then pass them through a food mill to make a smooth, fiber-free sauce. (This contrasts versions starting with mango or tamarind powder, where all the natural fiber is also ground and simply cooked with everything together.)

Jaggery (the British English word for
gur
—thickened sugar cane juice) is an essential ingredient that gives this chutney its rustic character. It is sold in solid chunks that have to be grated, ground, or crushed in a mortar and pestle before it can be measured.

Dried mango slices (
amchur
pieces), ginger pieces (
sund
or
sonth
), and jaggery (
gur
) are all available in Indian markets.

1 tablespoon cumin seeds, dry-roasted and finely ground (
Dry-Roasting Spices
)

1 tablespoon
Chaat Masala
, or to taste (or store-bought)

4 ounces dried raw mango slices

1 (2-inch) piece dried ginger, coarsely chopped

4 to 6 dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol, broken

1 cup coarsely grated or crushed jaggery, or 1
¹
⁄
₄
cups dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon black salt

4 cups water

1.
Prepare the cumin seeds and chaat masala. Then place everything (except 1 cup of the water) in a pressure cooker. Secure the lid and cook over high heat until the regulator indicates high pressure, then cook about 1 more minute. Remove pot from the heat and allow to depressurize on its own, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove the lid. (This can also be done in a pan. Put all the ingredients, and an extra
¹
⁄
₂
to 1 cup water, in a pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the mango pieces are very soft, about 30 minutes.)

2.
Pass everything through a food mill into a large bowl to extract a smooth sauce. Bring the reserved one cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the boiling hot water over the fibrous remains in the food mill and collect any remaining pulp. Stir the extra pulp into the sauce; it should be like a semi-thick batter. Adjust the seasonings, transfer to a bowl and serve at room temperature, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate about 2 months, or freeze about 1 year.

Variation:
Substitute 4 ounces seedless tamarind pulp in place of the dried mango slices.

Minty Sonth Chutney with Mango (or Tamarind) Powder and Jaggery

Pudina Sonth

Makes about 4 cups

The use of powdered mango or tamarind makes this recipe easier and faster than others, because you don't have the prep work for the fresh mango or tamarind.

1
¹
⁄
₂
tablespoons cumin seeds, dry-roasted and coarsely ground (
Dry-Roasting Spices
)

2 tablespoons
Chaat Masala
(or store-bought)

8 quarter-size slices of peeled fresh ginger

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed

20 to 25 large fresh mint leaves

1 cup coarsely grated or crushed jaggery, or 1
¹
⁄
₄
cup dark brown sugar

3 to 4 cups water

1 cup mango or tamarind powder, sifted to remove any lumps

1 teaspoon ground paprika

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon black salt

1.
Prepare the cumin seeds and chaat masala. Then, in a blender, blend together the ginger, chile peppers, mint leaves with about
¹
⁄
₂
cup of the water to make a smooth paste.

2.
In a large non-reactive saucepan, mix together the jaggery and 3 cups of the water (disregard any lumps; they will melt when heated) and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until all the lumps dissolve completely, 3 to 4 minutes. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any impurities. Return the jaggery to the saucepan and add the ginger-mint mixture, mango or tamarind powder, chaat masala, paprika, ground ginger, cumin, salt, and black salt.

3.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. The sauce should be like a semi-thick batter. Mix in up to 1 cup of water if the sauce thickens too quickly. Adjust seasoning, transfer to a bowl, then let cool. Serve at room temperature. Or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate about 2 months, or freeze about 1 year.

Variation:
Try this with applesauce and lemon juice. Use about 4 cups of applesauce and about
¹
⁄
₄
cup fresh lemon juice instead of the mango powder and water. Adjust the salt and sugar, as needed.

Sonth Chutney with Fresh and Dried Fruits

Fallon vaali Sonth

Makes about 4 cups

This chutney, with a sweeter flavor (compared to that of the smooth
sonth
chutneys), makes for a surprising mouthful when you bite on small pieces of fruit. Use it as a topping over plain, lightly salted yogurt or over special yogurt
raitas
, and serve it with rice
pullaos
(pilafs).

1 cup finely chopped mixed dried fruits, such as raisins, peaches, apricots, plums, figs, and dates

1
¹
⁄
₂
cups water + 4 cups water, measured separately

2 tablespoons cumin seeds, dry-roasted and ground (
Dry-Roasting Spices
)

2 tablespoons
Chaat Masala
, or to taste (or store-bought)

1 cup coarsely grated or crushed jaggery, or 1
¹
⁄
₄
cups dark brown sugar

1 cup mango or tamarind powder, sifted to remove lumps

1 tablespoon peeled and finely minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon black salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 to 2 cups chopped ripe fruits, such as bananas, mangoes, pineapple, and peaches

1.
Soak the dried fruits overnight in 1
¹
⁄
₂
cups of the water. Meanwhile, prepare the cumin seeds and chaat masala. When ready, drain the fruits, reserving the water.

2.
In a large non-reactive saucepan, mix together the jaggery and 2 cups of the water (disregard any lumps; they will melt when heated), and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until all the lumps dissolve completely, 3 to 4 minutes. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any impurities. Return to the pan. Mix in the mango or tamarind powder and up to 2 cups water, including the reserved fruit-water in this measurement. Mix well and bring to a boil over high heat.

3.
Add the drained dried fruits, fresh and dried ginger, chaat masala, salt, and black salt, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding more water if the sauce thickens too quickly, until it reaches a semi-thick batter-like consistency, about 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and transfer to a serving bowl.

4.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly, remove the pan from the heat, add the paprika, and mix into the chutney. Serve at room temperature, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate about 2 months, or freeze about 1 year. Just before serving, mix in ripe fruits and serve.

Sweet Sonth Chutney with Dates