This is self-explanatory – a chutney made with dried plums. It is served in Pakistan at every wedding as the country produces plums and other summer fruits in abundance. It can be quite addictive so one gets carried away and doesn’t know when to stop eating it!
Sugar alert! I know the recipe calls for loads of sugar, but its not one person that’s going to eat it all! The damage is divvied! and if you don’t want to sign up for that, add a sweetener of choice.
It is a great accompaniment for all ‘desi’ foods e.g roasts, pilaos, biryanis, or even omlettes!
Note – a lot of red colour is added to the mix when cooking, but I have omitted that and left the chutney a natural colour.
Ingredients
- 500g/1lb dried plums
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt (some dry plums are already salted so reduce salt)
- 1 tsp red chillie flakes
- 4 cloves (optional)
- 1 stick cinnamon (optional)
- qtr tsp red food colour (optional)
Method
- Place the plums in a bowl, add enough boiling water to cover them and leave aside for 2 hours or overnight.
- Add the sugar into a pan, add half cup of water, bring to the boil, and keep on a rolling boil for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the plums with the liquid and all other ingredients..
- Cook together for 8 – 10 minutes until the mixture resembles a runny jam but the plums are not totally off the seed.
- Taste and check for level of salt and sweetness, adjust as per your taste.
- Cool the chutney, put in glass jars, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
