Champion Chutneys

by Caroline Robertson October 9, 2024

You can’t wander anywhere in India without the seductive scent of a spiced chutney, luring you to sample the local delicacies. Chutney flavoured my Asian adventures — coconut crowned every meal I ate in south India and mango sweetened the spiced dishes of the country’s north.

So finger-licking good, even the word “chutney” comes from the Hindi word “chatni”, meaning licking or lapping up. In Tamil Nadu, a state in the southern part of India, chutney is called thogayal. In the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, it is called pacchadi, and in Kerala it is known as chamundi.

Chutney spread to all continents from Indian kitchens. The British Raj were particularly taken with this piquant accompaniment, morphing it into more jammy styles such as the famous Major Grey’s sour, spicy, sweet chutney complete with mango, raisins, vinegar, lime juice, onion, tamarind and spices.

Either raw or cooked, chutney is considered an essential condiment in many cultures, too, though it goes by diff erent names. Africa has blatjang, South America and Mexico have their famously spicy salsas and Britain has its relishes. All you need to make this versatile condiment are good-quality ingredients and a blender or a pestle and mortar.

Flavourful balance

According to Ayurvedic nutrition, savouring the six tastes — sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and pungent — is essential for good health. Here’s a quick guide:

Sweet: Cooling and grounding

Sour: Stimulating and digestive

Salty: Heating and dissolving

Bitter: Fat-metabolising and blood-purifying

Astringent: Cleansing and healing mucous membranes

Ayurvedic chutneys masterfully combine these flavours to complement and complete any dish.

Unlike their Western counterparts, Ayurvedic chutneys are free from garlic, onion, refi ned sugar and vinegar, which are believed to increase agitation and ignorance when consumed regularly. Excessive red chili is also avoided to prevent aggravating pitta conditions such as heartburn. Instead, Ayurveda embraces alternatives like asafoetida, pepper, large green chilies, lemon juice, tamarind, and turbinado or coconut sugar.

Raw chutneys, such as coriander chutney, are packed with revitalising prana but have a shorter shelf life compared to cooked varieties. Cooked chutneys, especially fruit-based ones, last longer and are just as benefi cial. With ingredients like fennel, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander, fenugreek and nutmeg, these chutneys can stimulate digestion, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, cool the blood and promote detoxification.

Diet for your dosha

Do you know your Ayurvedic constitution? Understanding whether you are predominantly vata, pitta or kapha can help you tailor your diet for better balance:

Vata (air and ether): Opt for more sweet, sour and salty tastes.

Pitta (fi re and water): Reduce heating, sour, salty and pungent tastes.

Kapha (earth and water): Embrace more astringent, bitter and pungent foods

Here’s a quick look at basic body-type characteristics:

Vata: Slim, dry, cold, and sensitive

Pitta: Hot, sweaty, ruddy and intense

Kapha: Cool, calm, solidly built and oily

For a personalized assessment, try the quiz at carolinerobertson.com.au/body-type.html.

Balancing meals with chutneys

Creating meals for a household with diverse doshas can be a challenge, but chutneys off er a delicious solution. Diners can customise their plates with chutneys that suit their dosha needs. For example, a pitta person can add an anti-inflammatory raw coriander chutney to a rice dish, while a kapha person might enjoy a metabolism-boosting chili tomato chutney and a vata can relish a digestive tamarind date chutney.

Chutney recommendations for each dosha

Vata: Thrive with warm, cooked, liquid and oily foods. Use spices like asafoetida, ajowan, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, ginger, nutmeg and saff ron. Sweet and sour fruits such as lemon, mango and tomato are excellent, along with ghee, yoghurt, or coconut cream for essential oleation.

Pitta: Need calming, cooling, hydrating and soothing foods. Reduce fi ery spices such as chili, mustard seeds, paprika and pepper. Favour cooling ingredients like cardamom, cabbage, coriander leaves, mint leaves, palm sugar and turmeric. Include bitter vegetables like bitter melon, spinach, and kale and sweet fruits such as apple, coconut, peaches, fi gs and red grapes. Adding a dab of dairy can also help temper pitta’s digestive fire.

Kapha: Benefit from pungent, stimulating spices such as chili, clove, ginger, mustard seeds and pepper. Opt for astringent fruits like apples, berries and rhubarb. Reduce oil and sugar intake by using unheated honey in moderation as a fat-reducing elixir. Cruciferous vegetables like arugula, broccoli and caulifl ower are also great for kapha.