Born in a Bengali family one thing that I love to the core is anything Sweet. Sugar / Jaggery is an integral part of our cuisine, We love our misti doi and so we love to put a little bit of misti (Sweet) in our curries just to balance the taste. A full- fledged Bengali meal is always incomplete without misti tomato chutney. We Bengali love our chutneys a lot and the ones made with fruits- pineapple and mango.
A niramish (vegetarian) bengali meal if not accompanied by misti chutney at the end seems bland. Misti tomato chutney is also a quintessential part of all Bengali wedding menu. No matter how flamboyant and elaborate the menu may look like guests would rush to the counter serving chutney after having the chicken. We do have this strange urge of eating something sweet after gulping down few pieces of chicken or mutton.Â
My sister makes excellent misti tomato chutney, I call it one of her signature dish. Currently, I am in Kolkata and when at her house one dish that I ask her to cook every day is the misti chutney. It definitely originated in Bengal but I can’t ask when. Generally to make it more delicious a lot more ingredients can be added to enhance the taste and flavour. Amshotto Khejur (dates) diye Tomato chutney is a lavish affair and is mostly prepared on special occasions. It’s not a regular affair and the recipe too varies from home to home. The most commonly prepared one is that which has lots of tomatoes, Sugar/Jaggery, lots of Cashew. Some home love to have their chutney sweet and sour style while some love to have a few spices in it by adding Shukno Longka in the phoran ( Sun-dried red chillies while tempering).
The tomato chutney is also prepared as an important part while we offer Bhog during a Pujo. Bhoger Prasad means Khichudi , Begun Bhaja, Misti Tomato Chutney and Payash that tastes divine. This recipe which my sister follows is a very basic and simple one, all the ingredients are easily available in any kitchen. Let’s keep the lavish preparation for some other day.
How to make Misti Tomato Chutney Bengali Style
Ingredients used and the complete recipe
To begin with the recipe , here is a list of all the ingredients you need for Misti Tomato Chutney are as follows-
- Six medium sized tomatoes, diced in small shapes. Use the ripe ones to avoid the sour taste.
- Half cup Sugar or you can use Grated Jaggery
- Half tea spoon mustard seeds for tempering
- Two Teaspoon Refined oil
- A pinch of Turmeric powder and Salt
To start with the cooking process which is again very simple and less time-consuming. Take a wok/kadai, let it heat and then pour two tea-spoon of refined. After it’s evenly heated put the mustard seeds and let it crackle for a few seconds. Cover it with a lid else it would become a messy affair around your gas burner. Now put the diced tomatoes and lots of cashew nuts, a pinch of turmeric and salt to balance the sweetness of the chutney. Cook it for five to ten minutes keeping the flame at low to medium.
After the tomatoes are thoroughly cooked add half a cup of sugar or grated jaggery. You can increase or decrease the quantity of sugar / jaggery depending on the sweetness as per your requirement. Then add half a cup of water to the concoction and bring it to a boil. Cover with a lid for enhancing the cooking process. Bring it to your desired consistency, turn off the heat and your Misti Tomato Chutney is ready to serve with rice. It tastes best with rice and I also love to eat it with dal.
Dates, raisins, amshotto are optional and you can add only if in stock but for when it comes to eating on a daily basis this simple recipe really comes at help. Hope you liked the recipe and do share with your friends and loved ones. Let me know if you love misti tomato chutney and have a recipe of your own.
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