Roasted Tomato Chutney Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between tomato sauce and chutney? ›

The texture of this condiment is what primarily distinguishes it from a sauce. Because it is made from slow-cooking fruits and vegetables, chutney often has a chunky yet spreadable consistency and is created similarly to jam. Sauce, on the other hand, is typically much thinner.

The tomatoes can be diced, mashed or pulped, and additional typical ingredients used include ginger, chilli, sugar, salt, aam papad, raisin, dates and spices and additionally onion, garlic and peanut or dal for the south Indian version. It can be prepared using ripe red tomatoes or green tomatoes.

The addition of vinegar, salt and spices helps to preserve these delicious condiments. They also usually have a relatively long storage life and should last very well and even improve with age until the following season's glut demands more preserving.

Why Are My Roasted Tomatoes Soggy? The main reason roasted tomatoes end up soggy is because they are overcrowded on the pan. Make sure to use a baking sheet large enough to accommodate all the tomatoes with a little breathing room.

Chutney vs Relish

Both condiments are made with chopped vegetables, vinegar, and added spices. Typically, chutney has a softer consistency and contains a variety of fruit pieces. Relish usually contains one type of vegetable and no fruit.

I find the seeds of fresh tomatoes to be the cause of the bitterness. Try to remove as many seeds as possible by squeezing tomatoes after blanching and peeling. Its hard to get them all but that is okay. Then a bit of cane sugar.

The sugar can be white or brown, and you can use almost any vinegar under the sun. I would probably steer clear of Balsamic, but apple cider, malt, red wine are all contenders. I'd stick with something on the cheap side though because you're using a lot of it and the flavour will mostly get lost in the shuffle.

Add a pinch of sugar

Similar to the baking soda method, you can try adding a small pinch of sugar to your finished tomato sauce to help mellow out any unsavory or bitter notes. Natural Gourmet Institute suggests starting with just ¼ teaspoon of sugar at a time until the sauce reaches your desired acidic level.

If the chutney is too runny then in our opinion the best solution is to put it into a pan and bring it back to the boil, then simmer rapidly until it is the required thickness. If you can do this in a couple of deep frying pans (not aluminium) then it should help to speed up the process.

Adjust the Herbs and Spices: Bitterness in chutney can sometimes be caused by an excessive amount of certain herbs or spices. Consider reducing the quantity of bitter ingredients such as fenugreek leaves (methi), mustard seeds, or certain greens like spinach.

Should you peel tomatoes before roasting? ›

Do I need to peel tomatoes before roasting? No need to peel the tomatoes before you roast them! This dramatically cuts down the time needed to make your own homemade sauce. No more cooking them over a hot stove, and then forcing them through a sieve to remove all the skins and seeds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food and safety basics states cooked food can be left at room temperature up to two hours. If the temperature outside (or inside your house) is 90°F or above, you should cut that time in half.

As they roast, they lose moisture, and their flavor intensifies. They come out of the oven chewy & tart, with a super-concentrated, intense umami flavor.

Sauces and purees are a mixture of vegetables (generally tomato based), spices, salt and sugar that are heated to evaporate water and concentrate the mixture. They are thinner than chutneys and tend to be more acidic. Sauces and purees can be further heated to concentrate them and make pastes.

Sauce is a generic term, and includes many different possibilities. Ketchup is a tomato-and-vinegar based thick, pureed sauce. Chutneys are usually very thick sauces that contain pieces of fruit and/or vegetables instead of all being pureed together.

You can substitute mango chutney with apricot preserves or jam. Some peach marmalade can also do the trick. And another option is that you can try to mix some lightly cooked cranberries with a hint of lemon juice.

Chutney is a condiment or spread made from chopped fruit cooked with vinegar, spices and sometimes sugar, that can be served fresh or preserved. It's often associated with Indian cuisine.