Tomato Chutney - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

Which vinegar is best for chutney? ›

Vinegar used in making chutney must be good quality and have at least 5% acetic acid content. Any good brand white, malt, wine or cider vinegar should possess the correct qualities. Brown sugar is used for darker coloured chutney but where a lighter colour is required granulated sugar is recommended.

Tomato chutney is thicker and chunkier, whereas tomato relish is usually thinner. The taste of a tomato relish is more vinegary, too. Chutney is usually softer in texture and is cooked longer, but the veggies in a relish still have some crispy crunch to them.

The sugar and vinegar are essential, too, for that quintessential sharp-sweet flavour and to preserve the chutney. If the jars have been sterilised correctly (watch our video for a failsafe method), the chutney will keep in a cool dark space for more than a year.

That bitterness could be acid from the tomatoes and one way people typically fix that is by adding a small amount of sugar. Completely unnecessary. That acidity is usually caused by the use of crushed canned tomatoes.

Ginger also works very well. Cooks tip 2: I used cider vinegar in this Apple chutney recipe, but it is fine to use malt vinegar or wine vinegar. They will all produce slightly different flavours and it just a matter of personal preference and what you happen to already have in your cupboard.

Our answer. When you make chutney its consistency is determined by the evaporation of liquid as the chutney cooks. So if possible you should use a wide pan as this has a larger surface area which means that liquid will evaporate more quickly and should help to prevent the fruit in the chutney from becoming too soft.

Tomato chutney can be enjoyed as a condiment with cheese and crackers, as a topping for burgers or sandwiches, or as a side accompaniment to curries and Indian dishes. Its versatility and rich, savory taste make it a delicious addition to any meal.

This Indian tomato chutney is known as kasundi and is the perfect recipe for a bounty of fresh tomatoes. It is made with spices, vinegar, sugar, and hot chiles.

Warm jams and chutneys should always be put into warm jars as if the glass is cold the sudden change in heat could cause them to crack.

Tips to Remove a Bitter Taste

Mix in a little bit of sugar to hide the bitterness. Add a pinch of salt to a bitter dish. Sprinkle in a pinch of baking soda. Add acidic flavors to the dish, like lemon juice or vinegar.

What brown sugar is best for chutney? ›

If a recipe calls for brown sugar it nearly always means this, with less molasses than its big brother dark brown sugar, its subtle flavour is great in chutneys and pickles.

too sour or acidic. Ever made a salad dressing or tomato sauce that makes your mouth pucker a little bit too much? Add a pinch of sugar and some salt for a quick fix.

Balance Out the Flavors

If your dish is a little too sweet, try rounding out the sweetness by adding flavors or ingredients that are sour, bitter, or spicy. It may be obvious not to add more sweet ingredients, but you should also stay away from salty ones since they actually bring out the sweetness in food.

Chutneys get better when left for a few weeks. They mature. So try not to eat them all at once.

I have a few windfall apples in there plus onions, dried fruit and garlic. So often chutney is brown but I make this one with granulated sugar and distilled white vinegar which results in a chutney that is colourful and vibrant - autumn in a jar !

Rice Vinegar:

Rice vinegar is a popular choice in several Asian cuisines, including Indian. It's made from fermented rice and has a mild, slightly sweet flavor.

Apple cider vinegar makes a great 1:1 substitution for white wine vinegar in any dish that might benefit from sour apple notes.

No. White vinegar is a more purified vinegar that is made by fermenting acetic acid in water. White vinegar is colourless, simple, and easy to make, and is often the more affordable option. Malt vinegar is sweeter, milder on the palate, and less acidic than white vinegar.