Currant chutney is one of the variations of the famous Indian sauce. It is served with fish, meat and garnish to emphasize the tasting qualities of the dishes. In addition to its unusual taste, currant chutney has a whole range of useful properties. This sauce will become a healthy addition to the table in winter.
Red currant chutney
Chutney is a popular Indian seasoning sauce today, which is made from fruits, berries or vegetables. In addition to getting acquainted with new taste sensations, the purpose of this sauce is to stimulate appetite and stimulate digestion.
Currant chutney is a storehouse of vitamins, which includes:
- vitamin C;
- tocopherol;
- nicotinic acid (B3);
- adermin;
- pantothenic acid (B5).
In addition, red currants are a source of important micronutrients: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron. Together, all these beneficial substances improve the immune system, strengthen the heart muscle, cleanse blood vessels and increase the efficiency of the digestive tract.
Chutney has a pleasant sweet and sour taste with a pungent spicy accent
Even a novice cook can make red currant chutney. First you need to rid the berries of plant debris (leaves, branches) and rinse them in running cool water. Then you can proceed directly to the process.
Would need:
- red currant - 1 kg;
- granulated sugar - 500 g;
- wine vinegar - 75 ml;
- cinnamon - 2 sticks;
- cloves - 8 pcs.;
- allspice (peas) - 5 pcs.
Cooking process:
- Transfer the berries to a saucepan, add sugar, mix everything and leave for 1-1.5 hours to extract juice.
- Put the pan on low heat and simmer until the currants are completely boiled (60-80 minutes).
- Put cinnamon, cloves and pepper in a mortar, grind until smooth.
- Add spices, vinegar to the sauce and cook for another 25-30 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly.
When preserving for the winter, hot sauce can be immediately poured into previously sterilized jars and tightened with lids. As soon as the blanks have cooled, they are stored in the basement. It is best to consume chutney after a couple of days, when the sauce is finally infused and absorbs all the aromas of spices.
Red currant chutney sets off game, fish and cheeses well
Blackcurrant chutney
Spicy black currant chutney is ideal for poultry. It can be prepared not only from fresh, but also from frozen berries.
Would need:
- black currant - 350 g;
- sugar - 60 g;
- water - 50 ml;
- balsamic vinegar - 50 ml;
- cloves - 3 pcs.;
- star anise - 1 pc.;
- salt and ground pepper - ½ tsp each;
- refined oil - 30 ml.
Blackcurrant chutney sauce will be more exotic if you add ginger to it
Cooking process:
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, then pour the dried currant berries.
- Keep cloves and star anise over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
- Grind the spices in a mortar.
- Add spices and sugar, pour in vinegar and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add water to the chutney, bring the sauce to a boil and simmer, stirring for 30 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
- Put the finished product in jars and store after cooling completely in the refrigerator.
- The sauce should be consumed no earlier than eight hours after cooking, as it should be infused.
Sugar can be replaced with honey, so chutney flavors will be much richer.
Beetroot and Blackcurrant Chutney
Beetroot and blackcurrant sauce is very beneficial for digestion. Moreover, it has a low calorie content - only 80 kcal per 100 g.
Would need:
- medium-sized beets - 2 pcs.;
- balsamic vinegar - 100 ml;
- sugar - 50 g;
- black currant - 300 g;
- cloves (ground) - on the tip of a knife.
You can serve currant sauce for breakfast with both toasts and scrambled eggs.
Cooking process:
- Wash the root vegetables, dry them, wrap them in foil and send them to the oven for baking for 1 hour (200 ° С).
- Once the beets have cooled, chop them into cubes.
- Pour sugar into a thick-walled frying pan and bring it to a caramelized state.
- Send beets, spices and balsamic vinegar there.
- Simmer everything under the lid for 15-20 minutes.
- Add currants to the pan and simmer the mixture until the berry and vegetable mass becomes soft and homogeneous.
- The sauce can be immediately rolled up into sterilized jars or poured into airtight containers, where it is kept until it cools completely.
Beetroot chutney should only be consumed after 10-12 hours.
If desired, you can add ginger, black and red peppers to the seasoning sauce, and replace the vinegar with lemon juice.
Conclusion
Currant chutney is an exotic sauce that goes well with meat, fish and vegetable dishes. There is nothing complicated in its preparation. This is the perfect gravy for winter. After all, the more it is infused, the more expressive and richer its taste becomes.
