Chutney Archives

I thought there was something wrong with today. First of all, I didn’t need to go to Seattle. I wasn’t supposed to work today. After staring at my phone all the way from Everett, like us zombie commuters do these days, I decided to look at the schedule one stop before the wonderful commissary that we convene at before the hustle. What took you so long, Edlyn? I mean you only had to wake up at 5:30 am and complain about how tired you are. Next thing you know, you hop on the 6:33 am bus (don’t ask me about the minute-specifics, somebody must be having a jolly ol time predicting these things) and get all emotional about the World Cup.

Thanks a lot, pre-made Spotify playlist.

I crossed the road and took the bus right back to Everett. No sheepishness here. None. Except it was 4 buses back to Everett. Again, no big deal. Seattle folks with their pitying faces, I’m not ashamed! Our buses smell better than yours and are mostly bigot-free.

I’m home now and happy that my day suddenly freed itself up. I made brownies. The post I was scheduled to write on Wednesday is now this post I’m writing on Monday. It’s about time too because I hear rhubarb season is ending tomorrow. You’re going to have to illegally hunt your rhubarb and find strawberries to pair them up with. Speaking of rhubarb, P!nk is coming up. She said to get this party started.

Or something.

Mint and coconut scones

These were meant for tea time, a passion of mine that rarely gets pursued in this culture/country of pasteurised milk (ew). Allow me to give more importance than these seasons require by saying these are the perfect season-transitioning snackies. I took two to work, gave three to the neighbours, ate two and gave the other two to my ol’ friendly friend husband. One disappeared mysteriously. I call them my tropical (mysteriously disappearing) scones on my other blog.

Ingredients

140 gm (1 cup) all-purpose flour + more for dusting
135 gm (1 cup) whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
37 gms (less than 1/4 cup) turbinado sugar (or your sweetener of choice)
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lime
6.5 tbsp (88 gms) cold unsalted butter (cut into small cubes, if mixing by hand)
156 gms (1 1/2 cups) whole milk
1 egg, beaten, for the egg wash
1/2-1/4 cup of dried coconut (unsweetened)

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: the flours, baking powder, sugar, salt and fresh mint. Add the butter to the mix. If you’re going to use a powerful food processor, you can just cut the butter into half or quarters and pulse until it cuts into the flour. There should still be small pieces of butter in the flour.

If you’re going to break down the butter by hand (like I did), cut it into small cubes to make the process easier. Mix the butter with your fingers until the flour mixture has a coarse texture. Add the milk to the flour and knead until it all comes together. Flour a clean, working surface and pat down the scone dough. Flatten out the dough into a circle (with your hands) until it is 1- 1 1/2 inches thick.

Using a circular cookie cutter (or the rim of a glass), cut out the scones and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle dried coconut on the top. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes or until the tops of the scones are deep golden brown. If you feel the scones need more time in the oven, but are already too brown, cover them with aluminium foil and bake for 5 more minutes.

Let them cool for a little bit before cutting them in the middle and eating them with…

Rhubarb chutney

I love how easy this is to make. In a house where 2 people live, it lasts forever. It’s very similar to a sweet mango relish I grew up with and binge ate along with my sisters in India. Today morning I used it to make a grilled cheese sandwich with some sharp cheddar. And sour dough. Hangover-I-hate-when-I-go-to-work-by-mistake food rules! I also ate a little bit of it with my aloo-gobi (potato-cauliflower) and rice on Sunday. It’s so versatile. If you feel adventurous, you can also add some chilli powder to the mix. You will need 1 pint jar to store the chutney.

Ingredients

2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 cups turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp, fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup raisins

Put all your ingredients in a small pot and bring it to a boil, while stirring. Once the liquid is boiling, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 40 minutes or more, if you want a thicker chutney. Keep stirring throughout the process to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. You will know when it’s ready when the chutney becomes slightly harder to stir. Put the chutney into a jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Have you ever done something that made you feel inadequate?

I have done a lot…many in fact, of these things. Looking for a job is one of them. I never seem to have the right qualifications or the required level of so. Before I say any more words, I would like to add that I am not complaining. I can achieve stuff…if I want to. I’m just a little confused and since this is my blog, I can write maybe 4 or 5 paragraphs about it as if it’s no big deal.

Sometimes this way of thinking is a cop out and other times, I really want to know what makes a person successful. Is it a marketing degree? I WANT THAT. I’m joking. I wouldn’t know what to do with it. Is it the same for you?

I hope not. You’re probably smarter than that. You’re likely to face those that seek big things from you. Like a BA in art history. I don’t have one of those either, but not from a lack of trying. Looking for a job to call your own makes you think of a lot of things. How it’s like stand-up comedy, another career I have considered in passing. (I’m more of a comedy writer. Hahaha. Did you get the joke?) Stand-up comedy because you’re saying things that are half-truths, to get somebody to like you and then, reward you. With laughs and maybe money. Even if you don’t believe the embellishment, you are putting yourself out there and that is slightly, bizarrely brave.

How it’s such a game of chance, where you never know the outcome of that resume you sent a year ago. What’s it doing right now? Are people sitting around it and discussing where they tame their short hair? I’ll never know anything except I’d always pick pixie over bob.

How when you finally get this job you were so desperately looking for, you just want to sleep for five more minutes. And then wish you had more time…to write more blog posts, obviously. Or to go on walks – whenever you want and enjoy the 10 minutes of sunshine that is a very rare and hence, cherished things in these parts. No, take more than 10 minutes. You can do it. Except you can’t. You now have a job.

Yes, I feel inadequate. When I wrote down this imaginary list of things I ought to be doing, having a somewhat, not-so-inspirational time looking for work wasn’t one of them. But that’s alright.

I can take a walk. I have the day off.

I made this thinking it would be a great marinade for chicken. It is. However, it’s also a great chutney, mix-in for creamy dips, on an egg, a sandwich spread and as a topping to get those bowls of food going. I wasn’t sure what to call it but back in the homeland, we would’ve called it pudina (mint) chutney. I’m not sure how the Mughals made it (I’m joking!) but this is how I roll in 2014 – with cilantro. It’s minty and it’s fresh and I love it with leftovers. Take that, Mughals. IT’S A JOKE!

Ingredients:

1 cup mint leaves
2 cups cilantro leaves
1 small green chilli (sold as Thai green chillis at Indian stores)
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled
1 garlic clove (2 if they are small)
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp of rock salt/coarse grain salt, to taste*
2 tbsp cold water

Place all your ingredients – except the salt – in a food processor (with a steel blade) or blender. Add 2 tbsp of cold water. Process all the ingredients until they turn into a paste. The water helps the machine do its job quite smoothly. You won’t need more water, but in case you do, only add a teaspoon at a time. Add the salt to taste and serve however you please. The cilantro-mint chutney tastes its best on the same day, but you can store it in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week.

*I used a little more salt but I’ve mentioned the quantity I started with. Sorry, sometimes freestyling gets the best of us.

This wasn’t the plan + Mint-coconut scones with rhubarb chutney

Cilantro-mint chutney + I have no plan