Padma Lakshmi’s Cranberry Chutney: Recipe from the God’s Love Holiday Catalog

Cranberry Chutney

(Makes about 2 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

4 tbsps canola oil
24 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen*
3 tbsps sugar
1 tsp cayenne
salt
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp asafetida powder
12 tsps turmeric powder

Method:

1. Heat the oil on medium heat and sauté the cranberries, stirring intermittently. The entire process should take 1½ to 2 hours; the cranberries should open gradually and then begin to burst.
2. After about 45 minutes, add the sugar, cayenne, and salt. Adjust the heat to medium low, stirring all the ingredients.
3. Place the fenugreek in a dry skillet and roast for a few minutes. Grind to a powder in a mortar with a pestle. Combine with the asafetida and turmeric.
4. When the cranberries have cooked for about 1¼ hours, add the ground powders and continue to cook. The chutney should be ready when the cranberries have burst and the mixture is a thick, bubbling paste. This chutney will keep for months in an airtight glass jar in the fridge.

*Note:

• If you use frozen cranberries, make the following adjustments: First, thaw the cranberries. Heat the oil on medium heat and sauté the cranberries, stirring intermittently. This process is much speedier and should take a total of only 30-40 minutes, with the end result a thick paste. Add the cayenne and salt halfway through cooking, and the sugar and asafetida and fenugreek powder about 5 minutes later (about 20 minutes into cooking). The chutney should be ready when the cranberries have burst and the mixture is a thick paste.