peach chutney

It started as a classic case of life giving lemons or in this case peaches that were so pretty and at just the right stage of ripeness…….but pucker-sour.  And although my preferred way of eating fruit in season always is just washed and sliced, I knew these needed some extra attention 🙂

My first thought was cake because I am always thinking of cake :).  Especially a coffeecake which isn’t too sweet and is perfect with my afternoon tea.  I also flirted with possibly making muffins or jam or a trifle and then I remembered a Peach-Habanero Sauce that my friend Asha had made on her blog.   I had loved the idea of a sweet-spicy condiment and had filed it away in the back of my head and so it was an easy choice as to what would happen with these peaches!

The timing was also quite perfect.  I had started to include boiled eggs (I don’t really like them!) for breakfast and it had been a daily tussle.   And I often resorted to delay tactics….boiling them for breakfast and getting to them only at lunch, or covering the plate and saving it for the next day or dousing them in salt, pepper and olive oil or watching something very engrossing while I shoveled them into my mouth.  The only way I actually look forward to eating boiled eggs is in an egg salad sandwich with some Major Grey’s Mango Chutney.  And now peach chutney!

This is a pretty simple and quick recipe.  Try to use peaches that are ripe but firm because you want it to be a bit chunky when cooked and not disappear into a mush.  I have used some simple spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper and cardamom but you should definitely experiment with your favorite ones.

The deep color of the chutney is because I used a combination of jaggery and honey since I wanted unrefined sugars.  You can use white sugar if you like and the color will be a more vibrant orange, although I must say that both the jaggery and honey give it a wonderfully complex flavor.

This is more like a small batch chutney to be used in a few weeks but if you are familiar with canning, I am sure these can be made in a larger batch to be stored for a longer time.  Maybe I should try my hand at canning next…..especially since the markets are flooded with beautiful summer fruit.  Never too late to learn new skills…right :)?

Print Recipe

Peach Chutney

Cooking Time: approx. 1 hour

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped peaches (approx. 5 medium peaches)
• 1/2 cup jaggery or brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1/2 cup white onion, chopped fine
• 1 thai chili, chopped fine
• 8 whole cloves
• 4 whole cardamom
• 1-inch pieces of cinnamon, couple
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 15 black peppercorns
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt to taste

Instructions

1

Wash the peaches well and chop into small pieces. I did not peel them.

2

Add it to a thick-bottomed non-reactive pot. Add the jaggery, honey, apple cider vinegar, ginger, garlic, onion, lemon juice and the thai chili.

3

Then add the spices. I pounded them very roughly and put them in a spice bag. You could gather them in a cheesecloth and tie with a string before adding to the mixture. You could also powder the spices to a fine powder and add to the peach mixture but just make sure to add only a third of the quantity and add some more later if you want it spicier.

4

Place the pot on the stove on medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

5

The mixture will get quite liquidy and then start to boil vigorously. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. By the end of half an hour, the mixture will thicken significantly. It should be thick enough to stay in a slotted soon without going through.

6

Let it cool completely before transferring to a clean glass bottle and refrigerate.

7

It is delicius as a jam, in an egg salad sandwich, over cheese and perfect with parathas too!