Strawberry POM Chutney

By
Prerna Singh
-

In the past few weeks a lot of things slipped off my mind. It slipped off my mind that I had to attend parties and respond to invites that were sent my way. It slipped off my mind that there are a few deadlines I need to meet. It slipped off my mind that when people write emails they expect a reply back AND it slipped off my mind that there was a lot of POM juice sitting in the back of my refrigerator! Nice people at POM Wonderful were gracious enough to send me a big box of POM juice to try. Well, my whole family is a huge fan of its sweet and tangy flavor and the fact that its 100% Pomegranate juice with no added sugar makes it perfect for me. So thank you “nice people at POM Wonderful” for being so gracious!

Not before we started packing that we realized how many things were in the house that escaped our eyes. Those bottles of POM juice were one of them! I panicked because I had to use them to their last drop and I did not have enough time. So apart from making some sorbet and pomegranate molasses I made use of a ton of strawberries from the berry picking we went a few days back. I thought I will try this chutney recipe that my mom makes using raw mangoes with jaggery and panch foran (five spice mix). Only I made mine with strawberries and added pomegranate juice for tartness.

I somehow assumed that every Indian cook must know about panch foran. But the more I spoke with people, the more I realized that it was not as common in all parts of India as I thought it to be. Panch foran is a mix of five whole spices in equal parts – black mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, ajwain seeds and nigella. You can use it as a tempering while making stir fried vegetables (eggplants taste best when stir fried with it). You can coarsely crush them and rub it on your meat before grilling or you can make some out of the world chutney with it! So much can be done with these five spices that I think I will do a post on it soon (I promise!).

For this particular mango chutney, my mom uses jaggery which is an unrefined form of sugar cane sugar. Its WAY better for your health than sugar but if you can’t find it easily you can use sucanat or dark brown sugar. If nothing, then use just plain old white sugar that you have in your kitchen. My point is don’t run to the grocery store if you don’t have jaggery. So here’s the recipe for my Strawberry POM chutney using panch foran.

Ingredients:

1lb hulled strawberries
1/3 cup POM juice
1/2 cup jaggery or packed brown sugar OR 1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp panch foran (spice mix)
2 tsp oil (olive oil or vegetable oil)

Method:

Heat oil in a thick bottom saucepan. Add panch foran in it.
Once it starts to pop add strawberries a in it and stir it once. Then add POM juice. Mix it all together and turn the heat to medium and bring the mixture to boil.
As soon as it starts boiling, turn the heat to low and stir in jaggery/brown sugar/sugar.
Keep stirring until the sugar dissolves. Gently boil until the strawberries are clear and thick.
To test if your chutney is done, take some in the back of your spoon and let it stay out in the air for about 10-15 minutes then run a finger through it. If it wrinkles then its done.
Turn off the heat and let it cool.
Although I have never done it before, I am sure you can “can” and store this chutney in your refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
I asked my friends if they can help with their trusted source for canning and one name kept that popping was Food In Jars. And I agree with them! If you want to learn anything about food in jars or canning visit this blog.

Prerna Singh
http://www.indiansimmer.com

48 Comments

  2. Hello,
    We love your recipes, especially when its on Strawberry Chutney.
    These are so delicious.
    I have always looked at your blog for the various pictures and the way you write.Just Love it!
    You have shared some nice information about Strawberry POM Chutney in this post.
    The points you mentioned are genuine and perfect.
    The content completely describes about the topic you wanted to portray with us.
    Thanks for sharing such valuable post.

    Regards
    VentairIndia Team

  3. Hello, i would like to know how should i use this chutney with? Fish or meat, both?

    Btw, shouldnt it have some vinegar?

    Thx!

  9. Clicks are toooo good. What kind of camera r u using ? Pls let me know. This is a non-recipe question sorry. Your website looks wonderful and loads of stuff to explore. Thanx for your effort.
    Regards,
    Cappu

  11. This chutney looks and sounds amazing Prema! I have a bunch of strawberries in my fridge right now as well as a few bottles of POM juice. Thanks to you, now I know what I am going to do with them. Love this.

  15. I learnt about panch phoran from my Bengali roommate. Although the spice mixture is used commonly in my family, everyone just calls it ‘karela masala’. The chutney looks interesting. I can use fresh pomegranate juice right?

  22. I read your status on facebook and was guessing strawberry chutney vs jam because I know the Indian in you 😉 But POM in the chutney? Genius! Aur itni pyaari tasveerien 🙂 But which ever features A becomes my immediate favorite

  26. Absolutely delightful pictures, Prerna! I love your fruit holder! The recipe is great too. Very original. Indian spices can liven up anything.:)

  29. Prerna,
    Love the photos and how beautiful those strawberries are during in season. I can imagine how tasty the combination of strawberries and pom juice is in this recipe. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  30. Thanks guys, I am glad you liked the post!
    @Plateful- haha.. you are too cute 🙂
    @Biren- Welcome to Indian Simmer!
    @Satrupa- Yes, my mom sometimes uses Jeera as well. I think every family has its own recipe for every Indian dish 🙂
    @Anonymous- I have mentioned above the 5 ingredients of panch foran used in my family.Its ajwain, nigella,fenugreek,mustard and fennel seeds. Planning to write a post on it with more details

    • hey. i am desperately looking through your blog to find a mango chutney recipe i used last year and can not find anymore. i have i feeling you bloged it but i wasn’t your original recipe. please help! my email is poppyjaneadams@gmail.com x

  31. I love panch phoron on any indian chutney and I agree with you .. many people are ignorant about it. Would love to see your post on it.

    This is classic twist you gave with strawberry and looks so red and pretty 🙂

  32. Prerana, Wonderful experience to scroll through beautifully captured pictures. your post initiated me to try POM juice. May I know exact contents of five spices that you used? Also is there any specific reason that you choose not to display even a single panch phoran seed above chutney?

    foodie.

  34. I didn’t know anything about panch foran until I started blogging. Indian cuisine is indeed diverse and vast and there is lot to learn from each region. Love all your pics especially the 2nd one where you daughter is holding the strawberry basket. It simply gorgeous and adorable.

  36. Welcome back ….. Luv the gorgeous red color of the fresh strawberries ! Delicious looking chutney 🙂
    The panch phoran I get from the Indian Grocery Store has Cumin instead of Azwain seeds. Also the one my mom uses has cumin. So is this a different kind of panchphoran ?

  40. GORGEOUS clicks Prerna!!!! Ive been staring at them for a good 5 mins now..& still counting 😉 And this is a new & interesting combo!!!
    Prathima Rao
    Preats Corner

  46. Ahh Prerna, I’m so in love with your pictures….! They are gorgeous, I repeat GORGEOUS. The colour combo is brilliant in this post …strawberries look so luscious …tweeny-weeny white flower on the chutney …metal basket – aha! All in all, I’m in love, again 🙂 Sorry I didn’t even look at the recipe..yet

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