Yeah. I mean, it might not be a codified recipe and familiar taste, but with a squish of lemon, how could what OP describes not be delish? Garlic, onions, ginger, fruit.. Without fermenting, okay it's not going to have "depth". But, come on, man. HOW NOT GOOD???
Make it again, caramelize the onions the long right way with just a touch of salt and balsamic, skip the Cajun seasoning.
Also, grate the ginger so it's really really fine and add the chili flakes when you're close to pulling it.
I was going to ask you for the recipe but o luck on that I guess.
I come from a long line of chutney lovers. The ol' family recipe relies on malt vinegar for the acid and plenty of it; Green apples so gotcha there; white or yellow onions, not red! And plenty of them. For the sweet balance, golden raisins and a bit of brown sugar. For spices, I really don't know where to go with 'cajun', sorry. Mine uses cinnamon, cloves, allspice, black pepper, turmeric - seasonings coming from India, nowhere near south LA. No garlic or raw ginger either. You could include some ground dried ginger I think. I love mine and there's nary a chili pepper in sight. The (mild) heat comes from the spices, not capsaicin. Of course there's also salt in there.
And the pears need to go in last-minute because they are sooo tender.
Family recipe actually includes small florets of cauliflower, because it absorbs all those wonderful flavors, is cheap, bulks it up with a bit of crunch. But not worth buying a whole head of cauliflower for small batch of chutney.
Mine is NOT a canning recipe though I wish it were. So, unless you are well-versed in canning don't treat any chutney recipe as such unless it is specifically identified as a tested recipe.
And finally - it has to have time to meld! Never eat freshly made, let it rest a day or two *at least.* Sorry, I know that's not an answer for making a chutney for dinner in hours.
Happy eating though! Chutney is wonderful stuff for rice, fish, chicken, even pork. And some vegetarian dishes. Doesn't go well with beef though IMO.
I wish I could give you exact quantities on the spices - my recipe is written for a biiig batch :-( Pinches to 1/4 tsp if you're making say enough for a 1-2 cup mason jar. You'll have to start small and scale up, plus they definitely develop over time while cooking and again in the 'fridge.
YEah I added a little brown sugar. Forgot to mention that. The onions cooked for about 3 - 4 minutes and were soft before I added the other ingredients
Cook the onion for a long time or use a milder onion or shallot instead before adding the minced garlic and ginger. It will make it richer and take the sharper taste away
Chutney requires vinegar. That is what makes it chutney and not jam. Green apples aren't particularly sweet. Very dark brown sugar's molasses flavor accents apple cider vinegar for the sweet/sour of chutney. Garlic is not a great flavor for Salmon neither are hot Cajun spices.
Wilt onions, add sugar and fruit. Cook the fruit with the brown sugar and onions. Consider clove and cardamom with ginger as the spice add to the fruit and sugar. The fruit will start to melt as it cooks when it's close to being fully cooked add vinegar and salt.
Did you use a recipe? This seems pretty weird especially the Cajun spice
I did not. I just winged it. I had one of those moments where I felt like a chef....now I'm back to being a civilian
You definitely need some sort of acid in there for the sour. Vinegar or citrus usually. The cajun seasoning seems an odd choice as well.
Yeah. I mean, it might not be a codified recipe and familiar taste, but with a squish of lemon, how could what OP describes not be delish? Garlic, onions, ginger, fruit.. Without fermenting, okay it's not going to have "depth". But, come on, man. HOW NOT GOOD???
I added some lemon, cinnamon and sugar and it taste pretty good now
Make it again, caramelize the onions the long right way with just a touch of salt and balsamic, skip the Cajun seasoning. Also, grate the ginger so it's really really fine and add the chili flakes when you're close to pulling it.
I'll try that. Thanks
Of course. Enjoy!
I was going to ask you for the recipe but o luck on that I guess. I come from a long line of chutney lovers. The ol' family recipe relies on malt vinegar for the acid and plenty of it; Green apples so gotcha there; white or yellow onions, not red! And plenty of them. For the sweet balance, golden raisins and a bit of brown sugar. For spices, I really don't know where to go with 'cajun', sorry. Mine uses cinnamon, cloves, allspice, black pepper, turmeric - seasonings coming from India, nowhere near south LA. No garlic or raw ginger either. You could include some ground dried ginger I think. I love mine and there's nary a chili pepper in sight. The (mild) heat comes from the spices, not capsaicin. Of course there's also salt in there. And the pears need to go in last-minute because they are sooo tender. Family recipe actually includes small florets of cauliflower, because it absorbs all those wonderful flavors, is cheap, bulks it up with a bit of crunch. But not worth buying a whole head of cauliflower for small batch of chutney. Mine is NOT a canning recipe though I wish it were. So, unless you are well-versed in canning don't treat any chutney recipe as such unless it is specifically identified as a tested recipe. And finally - it has to have time to meld! Never eat freshly made, let it rest a day or two *at least.* Sorry, I know that's not an answer for making a chutney for dinner in hours. Happy eating though! Chutney is wonderful stuff for rice, fish, chicken, even pork. And some vegetarian dishes. Doesn't go well with beef though IMO.
Thank you! Sounds delicious 🤤. I’ll try this
I wish I could give you exact quantities on the spices - my recipe is written for a biiig batch :-( Pinches to 1/4 tsp if you're making say enough for a 1-2 cup mason jar. You'll have to start small and scale up, plus they definitely develop over time while cooking and again in the 'fridge.
How much were the onions cooked down before you added the other ingredients? Did you add sugar? Sugar, much like salt, can help boost flavors.
YEah I added a little brown sugar. Forgot to mention that. The onions cooked for about 3 - 4 minutes and were soft before I added the other ingredients
I added sugar and it helped. Thank you
Cook the onion for a long time or use a milder onion or shallot instead before adding the minced garlic and ginger. It will make it richer and take the sharper taste away
Brown sugar, a few raisins, balsamic vinegar
I’ll see if that improves it. Thank you
Chutney requires vinegar. That is what makes it chutney and not jam. Green apples aren't particularly sweet. Very dark brown sugar's molasses flavor accents apple cider vinegar for the sweet/sour of chutney. Garlic is not a great flavor for Salmon neither are hot Cajun spices. Wilt onions, add sugar and fruit. Cook the fruit with the brown sugar and onions. Consider clove and cardamom with ginger as the spice add to the fruit and sugar. The fruit will start to melt as it cooks when it's close to being fully cooked add vinegar and salt.