Chaltar Chutney – Elephant Apple chutney

Chalta = Elephant Apple, is not an often found fruit. It is rare and very seasonal 🙂

Memories of this fruit are tangy, spicy and sweet and takes me back to school holidays spent in my grandma’s place in Konnagar, Hoogly, West Bengal in India. My eldest maternal aunt used make a lip smacking chutney , as well as pickle out of it. Aahhhhh……….powerful memories of those taste ❤ , i am salivating 😉 😀

Another traditional Bengali preparation from our extensive cuisine.

chalta = elephant apple

This fruit is from the mountains with heavy rainfall 🙂

Dillenia Indica is it’s botanical name. This fruit has layers like an onion and chopping or cutting through the fruit is a difficult task due the gum like substance it releases.

layers inside the fruit

The heart of the fruit is rather pulpy and releases the gum kind sustance, is discarded. Rest of the fruit layers are sliced ,preferably, longitudinally.

This chutney is simply made from my childhood memories at grandma’s place…….spicy, tangy and little sweet 😉 🙂 One thing i remembered well was the aroma of ‘panch phoron’, five spice mix of nigella, mustard, fennel, cumin and radhuni ( close relative of carom seeds) seeds. In the absence of radhuni, use fenugreek seeds.

panch phoron = nigella, mustard, fennel, cumin and fenugreek seeds

Salt and sugar used in this chutney varies and depends on how tangy the fruit is.

Here’s what i did ……………

INGREDIENTS

1/2 – Chalta / Elephant apple

1 tsp – panch phoron + a pinch

1 nos – dried red whole chili

1/4 tsp – tumeric powder

1 cup – water

salt to taste

sugar to taste

oil to cook

METHOD

Wash, wipe and slice up the Chalta as shown in the picture above. Pressure cook it with some salt for approx 7 -8 mins. Keep aside. Heat a pan and dry roast the panch phoron and the red chili. Keep aside. Grind or crush the roasted spice.

Heat 1 tsp oil and season with a pinch of panch phoron. Add the  Chalta and stir fry for a min. Add the tumeric, salt and water. Let it cook on a low flame for 10 mins and then add the required sugar. Check for taste and adjust the salt and sugar, both.

Once the sugar has dissolved and the gravy has thickened, sprinkle all the roasted spice and take it off fire.

Serve chilled.

Note : Sugar can be replaced with date jaggery.

Taking this over to Shop Local Blogging Challenge

Happy cooking !! 🙂

Cheers !! 😀

 

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