My love for cooking definitely stems from my mum. I know everyone says they're mother's the best cook, but I truly haven't tried anyone's cooking that I liked more than my mum's. She learnt through experience, she doesn't really care for measurements and other technicalities, so it feels like cooking is a natural talent for her. But that's far from the truth, she told me how many times she made countless blunders in the kitchen, when as a young girl, her mother (my grandma) told her she should learn proper cooking.
My mum's experience resonates with mine. I didn't start enjoying cooking until I was well in my twenties! My first tries at baking and cooking were disasters, and I'm the kind of person that gets discouraged quite easily. So I didn't approach cooking again until much later, when I actually needed to know how to cook.
My mum was always patient and understanding throughout my journey, never pushing me to cook, as many other women of brown parents may have experienced. One thing is true though, even if I didn't enjoy cooking back then, I would always watch my mum cook. I may have picked up a thing or two by just watching, but I'm definitely nowhere near her skill level. One of the things I always watched her cook was my favorite sweet tomato chutney. It takes a couple of hours for it to come together, but oh, it is so worth the wait. Sweet and tangy tomato chutney by my mum is heavenly, she learned it from her mother, of course. And finally I have gathered up the courage to make it. It takes only three ingredients, but you'll have to be patient.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg ripe tomatoes [2 pounds]
- 70 gr sugar [1/3 cup]
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder (optional)
Procedure:
1. Thoroughly clean the tomatoes, choose tomatoes that are very ripe and juicy for maximum sweetness.
2. Remove the cores from the tomatoes and cut in halves.
3. Put all tomato halves in a large pot on low to medium heat, and cover. Try to use a good heavy duty pot so the tomatoes don't burn at the bottom. We won't be adding any liquid to them.
4. Check the tomatoes occasionally turning them over, especially if they are sticking to the bottom of the pot. You want to keep cooking them covered on low-medium heat until they have release a considerable amount of water.
5. Once they've released enough water to coat the bottom of the pot, you may uncover and keep cooking. The entire cooking process may take up to 2 hours.
6. At some point, the skins of the tomatoes will start peeling off on their own, so remove them with the pot with kitchen tongs. You don't want any skins in your chutney.
7. Add the sugar, checking for sweetness before adding all of it. You may need to add more or less depending on the natural sweetness of your tomatoes. Add in the chili powder (if using any) and stir.
7. Once the liquid has completely evaporated and the chutney looks dense, rich in colour and reduced, it is ready. Remove from the heat and let cool before storing it in a glass jar.
You can enjoy this sweet tomato chutney with flatbreads and curries, I especially like to have with soft parathas and Indian pickles, just thinking about it makes my mouth water, yum! You can also use it as a jam, spread it over toast and enjoy this deliciously simple sweet treat.
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