Schezwan Chutney

Full Written recipe for Schezwan chutney
Soaking time: 1 hour
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• KASHMIRI RED CHILLIES 30-35 NOS.
• HOT WATER AS REQUIRED
• OIL 3/4 CUP
• STAR ANISE 4-5 NOS.
• GARLIC 1 CUP (CHOPPED)
• GINGER 1/3 CUP (CHOPPED)
• CELERY 1/3 CUP (CHOPPED)
• GREEN CHILLI PASTE 6-7 NOS.
• SALT TO TASTE
• KETCHUP 1 CUP
• RED CHILLI SAUCE 1/2 CUP
• VINEGAR 1 TBSP
• SOY SAUCE1 TSP
• SUGAR 1 TSP
• AROMAT POWDER 1 TSP
• WHITE PEPPER POWDER 1 TSP

Method:

1. To make schezwan chutney you will first need to deseed & soak the Kashmiri red chillies, cut the stalk of the chilli using a pair of scissors & then split the chilli by cutting it through the middle length wise, majority of the seeds will fall off & the remaining will get separated from the chillies while soaking.
2. Transfer the chillies into a bowl & pour hot water until they are completely submerged, cover & soak for 1 hour at least, you can also boil the chillies for 20-25 minutes if you want to skip the soaking step.
3. Once they have soaked well, transfer them in a mixer grinder jar & grind them into a very fine paste using minimal amount of water.
4. Now to start cooing the sauce, set a wok on high flame & heat it very well.
5. Pour the oil into the wok and let it heat nicely, further add star anise, garlic, ginger & celery, stir & cook on high flame until the garlic turns golden brown, this process will take upto 4-5 minutes.
6. Once the garlic has turned golden brown, add the red chilli paste that you made along with green chilli paste & salt, cook for 15 minutes while stirring frequently, the colour of the chutney should darken & its texture should become crumbly.
7. At this stage you would think that there is a lot of oil, but the oil is very important as it helps to preserve the chutney & you can also use it as chilli oil while making various Chinese & Indo-chinese dishes.
8. When the chutney has darkened & becomes crumbly add ketchup & the remaining ingredients, stir well & cook for 3-4 minutes, you don’t have to cook a lot at this stage because you have already cooked the chillies & the sauces that you have added are already cooked.
9. Check for seasoning at this stage & adjust salt accordingly.
10. Your schezwan chutney is ready, cool it down completely before transferring it into an airtight container, you can store & use it upto 1-1.5 months if refrigerated.