Tomato Chutney

It has been so long since my last post, it is nothing short of ridiculous. I've been feeling terribly lost without my familiar, weekly routine of mulling over what to cook, poring over cookbooks and experimenting in the kitchen, then sitting down to write about the whole experience. I don’t have much to show for the hiatus other than some late nights due to work assignments falling due at the same time plus the general chaos of life with two littles.

Anyway, this is a post I’ve been meaning to put up for some time because the subject is something that has become a staple condiment in my home. My mother-in-law’s amazing tomato chutney is bursting with flavour – sweet, tangy, sometimes fiery and the most gloriously rich, dark, garnet hue imaginable. It is so good that I cannot contemplate a meal of rice and curry without it. And I always, ALWAYS make sure that I have a stash of jars glinting promisingly in the depths of my pantry cupboard, so that I never have to face the bleakness of lunch time sans chutney. You might be forgiven for thinking that nothing can live up to such effusive hyperbole… oh, but does this ever.

This chutney is relatively easy to make. I make sure to select the reddest, plumpest tomatoes, smooth-skinned and without blemish and perfectly ripe for this chutney. They get scalded and skinned, chopped and tossed into a large saucepan and cooked with vinegar and sugar plus garlic, ginger and chilli. That such simple ingredients can, when left to their own devices to perform their own alchemy, produce something so delicious is always astounding and immeasurably satisfying. 

While, for me, this chutney is a must-have accompaniment for the traditional Sri Lankan rice and curry, but its uses are, by no means, limited to such fare. It is divine swirled through hummus, slathered on a burger, with a hearty meal of bangers and mash or even with shards of sharp cheddar with crackers for a spicy alternative to the traditional fruit paste. It's sweet and tangy flavour enhances all manner of dishes from all types of cuisine, which is the reason it has become the hero condiment in my pantry.