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Green Tomato and
Banana Chutney
When your tomato
plants start to die off, don’t waste the remaining green fruit. Pull the
plants from the ground and hang them under cover (garage or pergola) to
allow mature fruit to ripen. Fruit that fail to colour can be used green
to make this chutney.
Ingredients
1kg green tomatoes
chopped/skin on
2 cups ripe banana mashed (about 4 large bananas)
1 large red onion
finely chopped
1
cup sultanas
1 cup white
vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons
ginger grated or candy ginger chopped (or 2 teaspoons ginger powder)
2 fresh garlic
cloves finely chopped
1 tablespoon brown
mustard seeds
1 teaspoon dried
chilli (or equivalent fresh chillies to your taste)
1 teaspoon fennel
seeds
1 teaspoon dried turmeric (or 1 tablespoon freshly grated)
1 teaspoon
cinnamon freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon
ground allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
freshly ground
1 teaspoon salt
Oil for frying
seeds and onions
Method
Place the chopped green tomatoes into a large saucepan or jam pan and
place on a medium heat. Add a splash of water to stop the tomatoes
sticking to the pan. Stir regularly. Cook until well broken down.
While the tomatoes are cooking, add a small amount of oil to a large
frypan along with the brown mustard and fennel seeds. Cook off until
fragrant, then add the dried chilli, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg,
turmeric, onion, garlic and ginger - add a little more oil if required
to fry them off. Add the vinegar and sugar. Cook until the sugar is
dissolved. If you prefer a smooth chutney, use a stick blender to puree
this mix now.
Tip the contents of the frypan into the cooked tomatoes. Add the
mashed bananas. Cook until hot, bubbling and well combined (20 – 30
minutes). Season with salt if required. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars
and seal. Store cooled jars in the refrigerator. The flavour becomes
more complex with storage.
Note:
I freeze excess home-grown bananas in two cup amounts
for use in cakes, smoothies, chutney etc.
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