This apple and caramelized onion chutney has become a family favorite.
I didn’t grow up with chutney, but have come to love it as an adult. Enjoying chutney served in Indian restaurants was my first step. Then I bought chutney in jars to eat with home-cooked meals, and now I’ve moved onto homemade versions – definitely the best!
My first effort was a traditional tomato chutney from Madhur Jaffrey, whose Indian recipes (and cookbooks) are out-of-this-world. Encouraged by how wonderful fresh chutney tastes, how little effort it takes, and how versatile it can be, I ventured into new ingredients and combinations. Soon, I was using chutney in the most unexpected ways.
Re-reading that first paragraph makes me smile. It almost sounds as if I’m describing my spiral from a gateway drug to addiction. Of course that’s not true; this delightful condiment may be hard to resist, but it’s hardly illicit or problematic. So don’t worry – I won’t lead you down a garden path to doom.
In any event, you can tell why, when our host, Liz, chose apples for this month’s Progressive Eats theme, my thoughts turned to chutney.
The consistency of chutney can be as thick as jam or slightly looser, like homemade cranberry sauce. It need not be incredibly spicy, but it shouldn’t be sweet. My favorite chutneys use a variety of ingredients to provide a flavor best described as complex – aromatic and a bit sweet, with a spicy edge. The spices should meld together so that you probably can’t discern what each one adds, but you can definitely tell that there are several in the mix.
This apple and caramelized onion chutney combines elements of a traditional chutney with two of my favorite ingredients not typically found in chutney: slowly caramelized onions and spicy Dijon mustard. The inspiration for it was a mango chutney from Epicurious, reprinted from a book on small batch preserving by two Canadian home economists. Although the authors of that recipe sound less like Southeast Asian food experts than home ec teachers from a Simpsons’ episode, they created a nice sweet-and-spicy combination that I tried to replicate with different ingredients.
Tart apples and slowly caramelized onions are a match made in heaven. Add mustard and the spicy notes from curry and you’ve got a condiment that is irresistible in my book. I like this chutney with brie cheese on bread, or with poached or simply sautéed chicken or fish.
Curry powder is not a single spice, but a combination of many – and which spices are contained in any particular curry and how hot the curry makes your food make all the difference in the taste of the dish. I used a half-and-half combination of Sharwood’s mild and hot curry powders in this chutney. That particular brand contains many spices in both the mild and hot versions: coriander, turmeric fenugreek, cumin, mustard powder, red pepper, salt, cayenne, garlic, cinnamon, clove and ginger as well as onion and fennel.
Some day I’ll make my own curry powder, but in the meantime, this serves quite well. Test your curry powder by sprinkling a bit in plain yogurt and tasting it. If it’s not hot enough for you, add a bit of cayenne or chile flakes.
The process of making this apple and caramelized onion chutney is simple.
First you caramelize the onions. When they are done, toss the onions in a large pot and add chopped apples, sugar and apple cider vinegar.
Then mix them up all those ingredients and bring them to a boil.
Let them simmer.
And just before the chutney finishes cooking, add the spices and lemon juice.
To see how easy this recipe is to make, check out the video:
Apple and Caramelized Onion Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 pound onions quartered and thinly sliced, 2-3 medium
- 2 tablespoons oil or butter or a combination
- 1 pound tart apples such as Granny Smiths (2-3 medium), peeled, cored, and cut into small pieces
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 + 2 tablespoons cup tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons grated or finely minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons curry
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
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Caramelize the onions in the fat (oil, butter or combination). Deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of the cider vinegar and pour the onions and the deglazing liquid into a large, heavy enamel or stainless steel pot.
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Add the apples, sugar, ginger, and the rest of the cider vinegar. Mix all the ingredients and bring them to a rolling boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer the mixture, uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
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Add the lemon juice, curry powder, alt, cinnamon and Dijon mustard. Raise the heat slightly and continue cooking at a high simmer for another 5 minutes.
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Let the mixture cool before putting in an airtight container. The mixture should be kept refrigerated and is best eaten cold. Will last for weeks (or longer) refrigerated.
Recipe Notes
The apple and onion pieces will not generally get smaller during cooking, though the apples do soften and a few may break up as you stir the chutney. If you prefer your chutney smooth, chop the apple and onion into smaller pieces. Do not use a cast iron pot (except one that is enamel-coated) after you mix in the vinegar. Cast iron does not react well to acidic ingredients.
The preparation time does not include time for chilling the chutney. It should chill down in the refrigerator after 1-2 hours if you use a wide, low container.
Apple Recipes
Savory Dishes:
- Apple and Pecan Stuffed Pork Chops from Never Enough Thyme
- Apple-Cheese Spread from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
- Apple Chutney from Mother Would Know
- Savory Apple Cheddar Bread Pudding from Stetted
- Tsunth Monji – Green Apple Fritters from Spiceroots
Sweet Dishes:
- Apple Butter Coffee Cake from Pastry Chef Online
- Hot Buttered Rum Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Apple Streusel Cake with Yogurt Cream (Gluten-Free) from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
- Homemade Pink Applesauce (Gluten-Free) from The Heritage Cook
- Hubba Hubba Apple Cake from The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine
- Maple Glazed Apple Tart from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Maple Roasted Apple Butter with Bourbon from Creative Culinary
Progressive Eats is our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. As I’ve already mentioned, this month’s theme is a Kebab Fest. We are hosted by Liz Berg who blogs at That Skinny Chick Can Bake. We hope you’ll join us and make something unique and delicious inspired by our kebab theme.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, the host for the month choses a theme. Then members take the theme and run with it, sharing recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party. You can hop from blog to blog to check them out.
We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb for more information.
Thank you so much for not leading us to our doom, Laura! lol I love chutney, too! Love your addition of mustard and caramelized onions–the flavor must be so deep and wonderful!
Your apple chutney looks terrific, Laura! Love that you added the caramelized onions and mustard—so yummy!
That chutney looks absolutely divine – I bet it’s super versatile too!
Thanks Jeanette. I’m going to use it on the turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving – if there is any left at that point. Of course, I could just make another batch as part of the Thanksgiving preparations:)
This chutney has a remarkable balance of flavors! I would use this on almost anything! Your new site looks fabulous!
Ansh, Many thanks – especially glad that you like the new site design. I’m a chutney newbie, but as Susan Pridmore said, going to make up for lost time.
I *did* grow up with chutney, my Hawaiian grandfather made it all the time, and mailed it to us. this recipe sounds SO flavorful!
I’m obsessed with apple chutney! The curry and Dijon mustard in this version sound delicious. Can’t wait to try it!
First of all, I love the new design! Looks great! This apple chutney looks perfect for fall. Thanks for sharing the recipe…
Jessica, Many thanks for stopping by and for the compliment on the site. Hope you’ll try the chutney.
I love chutneys and didn’t grow up with them either. So now I make up for lost time 🙂 I just love all the flavors in this chutney and pinning it to make sure I make it this fall!!! LOVE!
Susan, Hope you do try it – and let me know what you think. I’m with you on making up for lost time in the chutney department:)
I love a good chutney. I can see so many wonderful uses for this recipe!
Megan, Thanks for stopping by. This chutney is great as a condiment in dinner courses and on sandwiches. I can’t wait to try it out after Thanksgiving on the leftover turkey sandwiches.
This will definitely be making an appearance on my table soon – and there might just be a few jars sprinkled around the neighborhood! 🙂
Jane, I do hope you make a batch – and sharing would make you very popular in your neighborhood.
Chutney is something I can’t do without and always try out anything new. So this one is going to be tried soon. Fabulous recipe.
Ansh, I do hope you’ll let me know what you think of it when you try it. Someday, I hope to cook together (In the same kitchen and not just virtually) with you and Barb, it always looks like you’re having such fun.
This does sound irresistible, I’m dreaming of it with some nice grilled fish. I just love all of the divverent flavor notes in a good chutney.
Heather, Oooh, that does sound good. As a matter of fact, I’ll have to put fish on the shopping list, now that I have the chutney in the fridge.
Believe it or not, I did grow up with chutneys. They’re very popular in the coastal south and came into our cuisine through the 1800’s shipping trade with the “Far East.” This one sounds invitingly delicious – love the bit of Dijon mustard included!
Lana, I never knew of chutney’s popularity in the coastal south, though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Glad you like this version.
I love the idea of apple chutney – perfect for Fall!
Jeannette – Thanks. It is such a perfect fall chutney – great condiment for lots of different meals, not just Indian food.
I love chutney!! The combination of apples and onions here looks incredible!
Thanks Ashley – we just had some of this chutney the other night with cold sliced turkey breast and salad. It’s one of our favorite condiments.
Hi – I want to make this but am confused by the amount of apple cider vinegar.
Is it 1/3 cup + 2 tbs?
Do you add the 1/3 cup when you add the apples etc?
PB, I am so sorry. I switched recipe plug-ins and the description got messed up – I just fixed it. You add 2 tablespoons of the apple cider vinegar to the pan after the onions are finished cooking, just to deglaze the pan. You add the rest of the vinegar after that, along with the apples, etc. Hope you enjoy the chutney.
great recipe thanks for sharing this. will certainly try it out.
Thanks Geet – hope you enjoy the chutney.