Chukh - Chamba Special Chutney

          Chukh is a spicy, sweet and sour chutney from the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh. I came across this recipe in one of the cookery shows recently and thought of giving it a try. So here you are - my version of this super tongue tingling condiment that can be enjoyed with any kind of Indian bread. 

          Traditionally raisins, honey, lime juice and amchur are used in this recipe for the sweet and tangy flavour. But I substituted it with brown sugar and tamarind paste. You can as well prepare in large quantities and store in an airtight container to be used as a pickle. So check the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 6-7 Kashmiri Dry red chilies, soaked in war water for an hour
• 10-15 fresh red chilies
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1" ginger
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. Kashmiri red chili powder (opt)
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida 
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp. sugar (I used powdered sugar)

To dry roast & grind - 

• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. carom seeds
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds

          Grind together the soaked red chillies, fresh chillies, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste by adding some water.

          Heat oil in a pan and saute the asafoetida and the ground dry spices for a few seconds. Then add the ground paste, salt, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, chili powder and some water.

          Saute on a medium flame till it leaves the sides of the pan. Now add the sugar and stir fry for a few more seconds.

          Switch off the flame and set aside to cool down. Store in an airtight container for later use. Serve as a condiment along with any form of Indian bread. 

          It can also be used as a spread on toast, parathas, pizza, sandwiches or on tortillas with few stuffings as a wrap. 

                  Dry roast 1 tsp. each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, carom                                          seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Set aside to cool.

     
                                 Then grind into a fine powder.

                                  Grind soaked red chilies, fresh chilies, ginger and garlic

                                 to a smooth paste by adding some water.

                   Heat oil & sauté asafoetida & ground dry spices for a few seconds. Then 
                   add the ground paste, 

                    salt, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, chili powder & some water.  Sauté 
                     on a medium flame till it leaves the sides of the pan. 

                                  Now add the sugar and stir fry for a few more seconds.

                                  Switch off the flame and set aside to cool down. 

                     Serve as a condiment with any Indian bread. Use it as a spread on toast, 
                     parathas, pizza, sandwiches or on tortillas with few stuffing's as a wrap.