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Amra chutney
আমড়ার চাটনি (amrar chatni): Barisal's sweet-sour hog-plum chutney with jaggery and panch phoron
Barisal is famous for its amra, the green, tart hog plums that pile up on market stalls from August to October, and every household there turns some of the harvest into a glossy, jammy chutney. The fruit is scored so the jaggery syrup can soak in, then simmered with panch phoron, dried chilli and a little turmeric until the flesh is soft around the hard, spiny stone. Sweet, sour and gently hot, it is served at the end of a wedding feast or a festive lunch, a spoonful eaten with the last of the rice, and children suck the stones clean. Cooking it too hard reduces the syrup to toffee once it cools, so stop while it still runs off the spoon. Chef's tip: if you can't find hog plums, sour green plums or a firm green mango cut into chunks make a good stand-in.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb hog plums (amra)washed, peeled and scored deeply in a criss-cross
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp panch phoron
- 1 /4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 /2 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 5 ½ oz jaggery, preferably date-palm (khejur gur)chopped
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 /2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp mustard oil in a pan over a medium heat, add 1 tsp panch phoron and 2 dried red chillies and fry for 30 seconds until the seeds crackle.
2 minStep 2: Add 1 ⅛ lb hog plums (amra), 1 /4 tsp ground turmeric and 1 /2 tsp salt and stir for 2–3 minutes.
3 minStep 3: Pour in 1 ¼ cups water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the plums are soft when pressed.
10 minStep 4: Add 5 ½ oz jaggery, preferably date-palm (khejur gur) and 2 tbsp sugar and simmer uncovered over a medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the syrup is glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
15 minStep 5: Stir in 1 /2 tsp chilli flakes if you like it hotter, cool, and serve at room temperature. It keeps in a clean jar in the fridge for 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does amra chutney take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of jaggery, preferably date-palm (khejur gur)?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
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