Chutneys can never get boring. Their tart and sweet taste with a thick jammy texture pan wins a foodie's heart instantly. When having a heavy meal, a dollop or two of chutney can add the much-needed punch of flavours to the platter. Showing us a way to add variety to a Thanksgiving meal is Padma Lakshmi. She is here with a unique recipe to cook cranberry chutney or sauce. According to her, it's important to have something tart on your Thanksgiving table. Otherwise, the other foods can feel very heavy. "It's good to have a relish of some kind," she added.
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Padma Lakshmi, who is a best-selling author and a TV host, often posts about food recipes on Instagram. Proceeding to tell us about this recipe, Padma Lakshmi disclosed that she had learnt it from her great aunt Bala. The chutney, she assured, has a distinct Indian taste. Thanks to four different Indian spices that are added to the dish.
Cranberries are traditional used on Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
Padma Lakshmi used 24 ounces of cranberries for this recipe. She also used a quarter cup of canola oil. You can use grapeseed oil or any other neutral oil with a high smoking point. The recipe requires cayenne or chilli powder, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp asafoetida. You'll also need salt and sugar to taste along with some water.
How to cook cranberry chutney?
The recipe is quite simple. Take a deep pot and heat it on medium to high flame. Once the pot is heated, add canola or grapeseed oil. Then, add the cranberries to this pot. The cranberries will begin to burst open and their flesh will begin to ooze out. This will give a mushy texture to the chutney. Cover the pot and let it cook for a while on medium flame. Keep checking the cranberries every five minutes so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Now, add some salt to the cranberries. Mix it well. Then add sugar and mix again. To spice it up, add cayenne or Kashmiri chilli powder. Add a cup of water if you feel that the chutney is catching the bottom. If there are cranberries that haven't burst yet, smash them with the back of your cooking spoon or ladle. Keep cooking and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Then, roast the fenugreek seeds and grind them into a powder. Add it to the chutney. Also, add turmeric powder and asafoetida.
Enjoy this sweet and sour relish.