Dinner & A Book - Midwest Foraging - Culinary Travels

Field Notes

Marshall V. King
@hungrymarshall

Chutney has put down roots in many cultures and sprouts a rich variety of flavors.

Indians, other in Asia and Brits all claim forms of the food that is simply a sauce in a multitude of forms.

In the kitchen at Maple Indian Restaurant, 127 S. Main Street, Goshen, staff members make onion chutney that is bright red and gives an acidic edge to food. A mango chutney — thick sweetness around green mangoes — is imported from India. The stars of the show at this restaurant, like many Indian places, are the tamarind and the mint chutneys the Maple Indian staff prepares.

Tamarind chutney harnesses the sweet, sticky fruit that is common in Asian and Latin cooking and adds some dark sugar and spices. It's most often used with vegetarian items, such as fried pakora or samosas, said Maple Indian owner Bobby Singh.

Mint chutney is often plated with lamb or other meats. It's a blend of mint, cilantro, jalapeno, lemon and seasoning. The bright green contrasts with the deep brown of the tamarind and though they aren't complete opposites, they work both in tandem and contrast as they add bright flavors to Indian food. It's sometimes overwhelming to try to figure out how to eat from an Indian buffet with all its choices, but adding a bit of chutney to any of the entrees there works. In the same way this community has embraced the Singhs and their restaurant, the food embraces any chutney.

In India, the types of chutneys are as varied as the regions and households. Where Singh is from in India, people gather items from their backyard gardens and make chutneys. It's a way to use the food they have to create sauces that are uniquely theirs and yet part of the glorious universal movement to make chutney part of a meal.

I've made tomato chutney and onion chutney in similar ways, using the bounty of an Indiana summer. I sometimes forget about them and then they come off the shelf or out of the refrigerator to brighten a meal. They're always a welcome addition.