Makes approximately 3 standard jars
In Nepal the sweet chutney is made using a fruit called ‘lapsi’ its mouth puckeringly sour and utterly delicious, it’s also generally unavailable in the west. Apricots are on the other hand readily available. When I was in Mustang, Northern Nepal, it was so sad to see all the traditional apricot trees left abandoned in favour of apples. I started thinking of different ways to make apricots popular again then it struck me, apricots would make a brilliant chutney, and they do.
Ingredients
- 250 g | 9 oz dried apricots, soaked for 12 hours in water
- 15 grams | ½ oz fresh ginger, peeled and finely cut into thin matchsticks
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
- ½ teaspoon panch puran
- 4 cardamom pods
- 150 g | 5 ¼ oz granulated sugar
- 120 ml | ½ cup distilled vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed chilli
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Method
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan to medium, add the panch puran and allow the seeds to darken and pop, about 30 seconds. Place the apricots with the soaking liquor and all the remaining ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil. Once the chutney is boiling reduce the heat so it is gently boiling and cook until the chutney has thickened. The best way to check if your chutney is done is to stir it, when it’s ready it will start to stick on the bottom of the pan and bubble when you stir it. If you like your chutney very thick you will need to cook it a little longer, stirring regularly as it will stick and burn easily. Remember the chutney will thicken more as it cools. Once you are happy with the consistency of the chutney take it off the heat and allow it to cool a little before you spoon it into sterilised jars and seal. The chutney is ready for eating as soon as it cools but it’s much better if you leave it for a week so the flavours can develop.* Dried apricots vary widely in the amount of water they will absorb, cover the apricots with 2 cm | 1inch of water. If you find they soak up all the water after a few hours it’s fine to add more, top them up to just below the tops of the apricots this time around.