Fresh Red Chutney with Mint, Pepper and Walnuts

 

This fresh red chutney was inspired by a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking. She likes it so much she would happily serve it with any of her meals , but especially with her spicy kebabs whch can also be found in this book. I can eat it by the spoonful with some crackers as a snack or tucked into a wrap with some spicy falafel patties.

She made it with almonds but also suggested it could be made with walnuts, which I did but I doubled the quantity used in the original recipe.

I used orange instead of lemon juice. And rather than chilli powder I added some drops of Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce. There is usually a bottle of this in my pantry. It keeps fresh for ages, and is a very quick and very versatile way to spice up a dish. It's good to know that this company provides employment for young Samoan men in a small Pacific Island country where jobs are hard to find.

It can be eaten immediately ( and we did) but apparently it can also be kept in the fridge for a few days.It made only a small quantity, for one or two people but the recipe can easily be doubled or trebled

I used my mini chopper for this recipe which I also use to make small quantities of pesto. But the good thing about a fresh chutney is that unlike pesto it is fat free.

I made this  recipe for  the weekly  IHeart Cooking Club Challenge.The theme this week was Red and Green. All the entries can be found at http://iheartcookingclubs.blogspot.co.nz/

Fresh Red Chutney with Walnuts

85 gm of red pepper ( About 1/2 of a deseeded large one ) coarsely chopped
20 large or 30 medium sized mint leaves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons of orange juice
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 a teaspoon (or to taste) of Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts


Blend ( in a mini chopper or food processor) all the ingredients except the nuts until the mixture is smooth.
Add the walnuts and blend again.A few bits of the walnuts may be left unpulverised. I think that this slightly chunkier texture is nicer.
After pouring it into a bowl adjust the seasoning to your taste.