This is what we always serve to start a big Indian dinner party. The three different chutneys are easy to make. Papadums are a thin, crispy wafer made from lentil flour. You should be able to find thsm in the international aisle of your local supermarket. I like to use a mix of the plain, peppered and spicy ones. Some of the other ingredients may be hard to find (like tamarind paste and asafoetida, but you can order them here. If you cook a lot of Indian food, you'll love this website!
Ingredients:
Various papadums, fried according to package directions and kept warm in the oven set at 200.
Onion Chutney
Ingredients:
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 tsp. ketchup
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp white sugar
a pinch of salt
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
Directions:
In a medium bowl, toss chopped onions and ketchup until all the onion is well coated. Mix in the lemon juice, then add the sugar, salt, cilantro, chili powder and paprika. Cover and chill for several hours before serving to let the flavors meld.
Sweet Tamarind Chutney
Ingredients:Directions:
Heat the oils in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, ginger, cayenne pepper, fennel seeds, asafoetida powder and garam masala. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes to release all of the flavors.
Stir the water into the pan with the spice mixture along with the sugar and tamarind paste. Bring to a boil, then simmer over very low heat until the mixture is a deep, chocolaty brown color and is just thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. This should take about 20 minutes. The sauce will seem thin, but will thicken substantially upon cooling. If you cook it down too much, you will have a big, stick mess that you'll have a hard time getting out of the pan!
Mint & Cilantro Chutney
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 green chili (jalapeno isn't authentic, but it works)
2 Tbsp chopped onion
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
Separate the leaves from the stems of the mint and cilantro. They should be thoroughly washed, and tightly packed to measure. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth. That's it!
If you're not serving it right away, cover tightly and refrigerate. It should stay fresh for about a week. This is a very tasty and versatile chutney that can be served with almost any Indian meal or appetizer.