cranberry rhubarb chutney

Chutneys of all kinds were always handy at home when i was little, my mom made sure of that. She prefers the traditional south indian thogayals, all forms of coconut-based chutneys, "green" chutneys (usually, green chilies with mint/cilantro), "red" chutneys (tomatoes and dry red chilies usually), and so on.

Chutneys now have become an integral part of my menu, especially since the wee one likes to dip her foods in something, and, i sort of like to experiment with different flavors and combinations of ingredients. Some have come out surprisingly good, some have taught me a lesson or two...

Anyway, it is rhubarb season again - almost. A few plants we have in our garden have started growing again. Time for me to use up the stash of frozen rhubarbs from end of last season:-)

While I love dry fruits, my main objection is that they are almost always treated with sugar. But, last week, i found some unsweetened dry cranberries at the store and i had to get a big bagful.

Now, typically, fresh cranberries are a late autumn treat, whereas by then, rhubarb season has ended... so, making this with fresh cranberries and fresh rhubarbs has not happened so far for me...

This cranberry rhubarb chutney is a favorite at home, especially since i get to make it only a few times a year, depending on availability of the ingredients.

The tang from rhubarb and unsweetened cranberries is balanced by brown sugar and a pinch of cayenne pepper in this recipe. In that sense, this is a form of sweet and sour chutney, much like tamarind-date-raisin¹ chutney.

Serve with dosai, adai, savory waffles, rotis, or even with dhokla ...

Ingredients:
1 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
1 cup finely diced rhubarb
¼ cup brown sugar (or more)
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder (adjust to taste)
1 tsp canola oil
salt to taste (just a tad, to bring out the other flavors)

Preparation

heat oil in a pan, and sauté the cranberries and rhubarb for a bit; combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fine chutney, adding water as needed to get the desired consistency; for additional tang, i sometimes like to add tamarind concentrate.

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¹ For tamarind-date-raisin chutney:
roughly measure out equal amounts of raisins and chopped dates into a pan, add just enough water to immerse them, bring to a gentle simmer till most of the water is absorbed, and turn off heat; when cool enough to handle, put the cooked dates and raisins, along with any remaining liquid, into a blender, add some tamarind concentrate, salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper powder, blend to a fine paste; adjust flavors to suit your taste and enjoy :-)