|
Ingredients
|
Quantity
|
|
Peanut oil
|
1 tbsp
|
|
Onion – thinly sliced
|
1
|
|
Fresh ginger – minced
|
1 tbsp
|
|
Ripe banana – cut 1” thick
|
4 almost
|
|
Brown sugar
|
½ cup
|
|
Fresh lemon juice
|
¼ cup (abt 1 lemon)
|
|
Red wine vinegar
|
¼ cup
|
|
Orange juice
|
¼ cup
|
|
Ground mace
|
1 pinch
|
|
Nutmeg
|
1 pinch
|
|
Ground cloves, ground cinnamon
|
|
|
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
|
to taste
|
In a large saute pan, heat the peanut oil over high heat until hot
but not smoking. Add the onion slices and saute, stirring occasionally, until
translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, add the ginger, and
saute an additional 1 minute. Add all the remaining ingredients, bring to a
simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until the liquid is about as thick as
catsup, about 10-15 minutes.
Makes about 3 cups.
This chutney will keep, covered and refrigerated, about 2 weeks.
NOTES: Malay-speaking people brought to
Africa as slaves brought their relishes and chutneys with them. Later, Indian
immigrants to South and East Africa added their versions to the repertoire. As
always, local ingredients and cooking traditions brought changes to the original
recipes, and a whole range of new chutneys were created.
This chutney, in the East African tradition, features the bananas
and aromatic spices central to to cooking of that region. It is best to use
bananas that are just sligtly underripe, since they keep their shape better.
But don't use really green ones, or you will end up with a bitter, chalky
chutney.
