June 1st, 2009

strawberry_chutney

Lime, Almond and Strawberry Chutney

When Richard phoned and asked me to make one kilo of strawberry chutney, I was confused and slightly sceptical.

Wow was my scepticism put to bed once I got started. This fragrant, fresh and brightly coloured chutney has certainly made me think twice about choosing the combinations of my ingredients.

As we are heading for summer and conscious that we are going to have plenty of fruits and vegetables to pick and choose from, I thought it’s the perfect time to share this brilliant and very clever chutney with you.

Razia Laljee whom I have recently met is the inspiration behind the flavour combination. Her cooking style made a true impression on me. Razia is a wonderful modern cook born in India but has lived most of her life in North Africa and England. So her cooking style is by no means traditional Indian, and this inspired me as Razia is open minded to combining flavours that do not necessarily suggest that they are a natural match.

The almonds add an interesting and clever texture where as the lime tames the rich and fragrant spices. The floral perfume of the strawberries works just wonderfully in this chutney.

strawberries1This Lime, Almond and Strawberry chutney works great on a cheese plate or instead of serving the traditional mango chutney with your favourite curry why not serve this strawberry chutney?

We enjoy this chutney with poppadoms, raita and a coriander and banana shallot salsa on a lazy Saturday afternoon with a chilled glass of Gewurztraminer.

  • 1kg strawberries, hulled and cut in quarters
  • 400g caster sugar
  • 400g Aspall Raspberry Cider Vinegar
  • 400g water
  • 10g salt
  • 4 cardamom pods, toasted
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 500g chopped banana shallots
  • 70g ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 40g red chilies, de-seeded and sliced
  • 1 lime zest and juice
  • 100g sliced almonds

Sterilize the glass jars: wash them in hot soapy water then place the jars on a roasting tray in the preheated oven at 100°C for 30 minutes.

Peel and chop the banana shallots. Place the chopped shallots, vinegar, sugar, star anise, toasted cardamom pods, cinnamon, sliced chilies, chopped ginger, cloves, salt and water in a large saucepan.

Dissolve the sugar over low heat once the sugar has dissolved turn the heat up and cook the chutney base to 105°C.

Wash hull and cut the strawberries into quarters, add the strawberries to the boiling chutney base, bring the chutney back to the boil and cook until the chutney reaches 105°C.

Add the lime zest and juice and fold in the sliced almonds.

Let the chutney cool slightly before spooning the chutney into the warm sterilized jars.

Let the chutney mature for one day before using.

Makes about 2.2kg of chutney

Food Fanatics Tip

Make sure that the chutney base reached the correct temperature before adding the strawberries. If not the colour of the strawberries will fade even more before the chutney reaches the correct temperature and thickness.

Improvise and flavour your chutney with spices of your choice. Other spices that would work well with strawberries are black or pink peppercorns.

Let the chutney mature for a minimum of one day before using as the flavour improves as the flavours mellow and  start to work together.


Print Recipe Print Recipe with Photo


7 Comments to “Lime, Almond and Strawberry Chutney”

  1. Jane says:

    Did PYO at weekend and intend making this… Love the ‘savoury cream tea’ idea I saw firsta ata a National Trust restaurant… Cheese scones, white cream cheese and fruity chutney… Sounds like this chutney would be perfect!

  2. Nick Cliff says:

    Hi, great recipe. Could I use regular cider vinegar instead of Raspberry? I can’t seem to find it anywhere!

    Thanks

    Nick

  3. Madalene says:

    Hi Nick,
    Cider vinegar would be a perfect substitute for Raspberry Vinegar.

    Happy Cooking
    Madalene

  4. Laura says:

    Amazing, like all your recipes, great website

  5. Michelle says:

    I just bought some pink peppercorns from https://www.sustainablesourcing.com/

    I can’t wait to try them out in this recipe!

  6. Steven says:

    What an awesome recipe! Will have to have a go at making that as soon as I can get my hands on some strawberries. I bet it would be stunning with cinnamon coated paneer, chargrilled..

  7. Sam says:

    That sounds amazing, Madalene – I have only just discovered your site and I can’t wait to try some of your recipes.

Leave a Comment