Carrot and Dried Fruit Chutney
Ingredients
90 g/3 oz/1/2 cup chopped dates
90 g/3 oz/1/2 cup raisins
90 g/3 oz/1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
90 g/3 oz/1/2 cup chopped dried figs
250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup water
500 g/1 lb carrots, finely grated
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
500 ml/1 pint/2 cups vinegar
500 g/1 lb/2 cups chopped jaggery
or brown sugar
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons ground black mustard
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Directions
Soak dried fruits in water for 1 hour or soften them in the microwave for a few minutes. Put all the ingredients into a non-aluminium pan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring. Simmer until the fruit is very soft and the consistency like that of thick jam. Remove cinnamon sticks, cool and store in sterile bottles.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)