Brown Kitchen

On chutney & evolving cuisine.

With so much recent online debate about the value of essays that precede recipes, I think it’s worth pointing out that recipes can mean so much more than a framework of instructions. Food writing — whether online, in newsprint or in cookbooks — helps me connect with the world and the people that live in it. Unlike a kite whose string is cut and then floats aimlessly in the wind, a recipe with context can be a powerful tool.

Such writing might hold clues as to why a people from one corner of the world use coconut oil to cook with while others use mustard; or perhaps why the tomato was once feared in the Western world. Often, it might tell you why some methods work better than others, or how adding a teaspoon of instant espresso will intensify the flavor of chocolate in a cake.

Food, like most things, evolves with time and space. It isn’t static and it isn’t meant to be. From ingredients to recipes that pass through so many hands over generations, cuisine will inevitably change. I saw this first-hand on my first return to Bombay (Mumbai) several years ago. In the decade since I had been back, the city I knew had undergone a massive transformation: new transportation hubs linked suburbs, large malls stood in place of older construction, and plenty of American fast food restaurants had popped up.

There was also another dimension of change where familiar meets new, the influx of Western food meeting an Indian sensibility, like the whipped cream loaded dosa waffles or the appam crepe suzettes drizzled with caramelized jaggery on the brunch menu at The Bombay Canteen.

But this isn’t anything new, especially in India. Chutney is the anglicized term stemming from the Hindu word “chatni.” For most practical purposes, it is a condiment or a relish with a bright spot of flavor, usually served on the side. It could be sweet and tart with a jam-like consistency, such as mango relishes, or lean more toward the savory side, like the fresh coconut chutneys served with dosas. Chutneys do not necessarily need to be liquid in consistency; the dry garlic chutney served on top of batata wadas (batter-fried mashed potato cakes) exemplifies this. A simple meal of rice and dal can take on a whole new meaning of flavor when a chutney is served on the side.

And that is exactly what I’ve tried to do here with these potatoes, once they are lathered lavishly with chutney made from pepitas.

Now, this chutney also lets me explore both chutney and pepitas in a new way. The latter is a classic ingredient cultivated in North America, but the idea of this dish inspired by the street food of Bombay, where potatoes are often seared in melted butter or ghee on large circular castiron pans and then seasoned and drizzled with a wide variety of condiments.

It’s a bit here, a bit there, a dish that is American and Indian in its own way, for me.

Photos by Nik Sharma Twice-cooked potatoes with chutney made from pepitas.