Chutney, a must have condiment for a maximum number of South Asian Homes used to be a family favourite once. The present scenario is such that the husband has stopped having it.... the son too.... One reason can be that I see in him the tendency to follow his father's footsteps..... there can be another angle too.... during his childhood, his mumma fed him chutney, a South Asian condiment every other day so that the feeding time can be lessened to an hour at least from 2 hours per meal. He might have got bored. The brother who is too fond of his T dada and picked up all of my husband's bad habits like smoking, not following any routine specially over the weekends also have stopped having chutney....
The elderly gentleman not among us anymore needed a chutney or achar everyday with his lunch & dinner platter. His wife and daughter too loves, cannot have it regularly given their health conditions. I know that in the other half of the family... the sis-in-law & her husband, my in-laws like it too. Who else is left?
My favourite girl B who never asks anything from me.... I do not think she is interested in anything besides noodles, egg & meat curries, "maacher tok", chana masala and those unhealthy roadside snacks. Her mother-in-law says she loves my way of cooking... haha... At least for this statement, I can blog about a sweet & spicy, an authentic Bengali condiment that had been a regular in the mother's kitchen.... KAJU KISHMISH KHEJUR ER CHUTNEY! One ingredient is missing here, that is aam shotto / aam papad! You all know I cook with what is readily available in my kitchen.... Moreover, after a few years of stay in this island, we prefer lesser amount of sweet in our desserts & condiments.
There are back to back two celebrations in the family housed in Kolkata soon .... they know that didibhai / S di will treat them virtually in the right time with their favourites. Bhai loves his didibhai and will not mind her sharing her personal favourite today. You see I am not particular about any routine either. We ventured out last Saturday with some friends to let our hair down over few drinks. We munched on deep fries and that yummy Thai salad too! I did not run to the gym in the next morning either.
I take life easy, try to stay truthful without trying to impress anyone in the process. I just felt if I cut carrots & radish into thin strips, I can incorporate them in my salad... getting to use that cutter soon! This definitely is not to stay in anyone's good book.... just that a big portion of grilled meat with a bowl of salad on my lunches may help my sugar level to go down.... that is the main concern right now... I wish to live more and take up big fights with the daughter-in-law over the ownership of my son... haha!
The Thai raw papaya salad was too good, so was the Bloody Mary! We sat in two venues... I had a Margarita, a Bloody Mary and a shot that evening... yet I did not get the right kick however. If I am drinking, I do not want my senses ruling over me for that particular night! You should not allow alcohol to rule over you either... that kills. Anyway, a sweet chutney everyday also kills... If you are a diabetic, have this KAJU KISHMISH KHEJUR ER CHUTNEY once a month, rest once a week "banta hai rey".... We are using sugar, dates, raisins, cashew nuts and a homemade spice mixture for this dish!
DRY RED CHILLI : 3-4
NIGELLA SEED : 1/2TSP
FENNEL SEED : 1/2TSP
CUMIN SEED : 1TSP
WILD CELERY SEED : 1/4TSP
FENUGREEK SEED : 1/4TSP
BLACK MUSTARD SEED : 1/2TSP
INGREDIENTS FOR THE CHUTNEY / SOUTH ASIAN CONDIMENT
THE SPICE MIXTURE
CASHEW NUT : 8-10
DATE : 10-12 [DE SEEDED, HALVED]
RAISIN : 12-13
LEMON JUICE : 3-4TBSP
SUGAR : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP OR A LITTLE MORE AS PER YOUR PREFERENCE
PROCEDURE :
Dry roast all the spices mentioned & required for the homemade spice mixture. Do it at low heat for a minute or two stirring constantly. Let cool but dry grind when it is still warm. Keep aside.
Take the sugar and a small tea cup of water on a wok. Bring to boil keeping it at low heat.
Meanwhile, de seed & tear the dates, wash them. Wash the raisins thoroughly and halve the cashew nuts.
Do one thing, microwave the cashew nuts for 30 seconds at high heat, stir and repeat for another 30 seconds.
As the sugar syrup gets nearer to the one string consistency, add the roasted cashew nuts, dates & raisins. Stir and let cook at low heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir a bit to avoid burning at the bottom.
Add the lemon juice and gently stir. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Garnish with the homemade spice mixture, stir & mix just before having it. Can be stored week long!
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