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This famous street food from Mumbai would not be the same without sukhi chutney, a dry spice mixture that gives vada pav a delicious kick. Your vada pav experience can go from good to amazing if you learn how to make sukhi chutney. The key is the balance between texture and taste. You too may experience the wonder of street food in Mumbai right in your own kitchen by using these ideas.
Video Credit: Chef Neha Deepak Shah/ YouTube
Things To Do:
Choose The Right Ingredients
Good ingredients are the first step towards making a delicious sukhi chutney. For best effects, use peanuts, dried red chillies, and fresh garlic cloves. If you like a brighter colour and a milder intensity, go for Kashmiri red chillies. Make sure all of your spices are aromatic and fresh, especially the sesame and cumin seeds. The final flavour of your chutney can be greatly affected by the use of stale spices.
Toast The Ingredients Carefully
For sukhi chutney, toasting the dry ingredients before grinding is a game changer. In a dry pan over medium heat, separately toast the sesame seeds, cumin seeds, and peanuts until aromatic. ͏͏This tech͏nique enhances the taste and consistency of your chu͏tneys. Take care not to burn the ingredients; this could leave them tasting bitter.
Balance The Flavours
The secret to making a delicious sukhi chutney is to get the ideal flavour balance. You can test with different quantities of garlic, purple chillies, and salt to fit your taste. Starting with less and adding more as necessary is a decent general rule of thumb. Note that the chutney has to enhance rather than overshadow the vada. A small amount of sugar can help balance the heat and improve the flavour profile as a whole.
Image credit: Flickr
Things To Avoid:
Avoid Over-grinding
An error made often is to overgrind the ingredients. Instead of making a fine powder, sukhi chutney should have a rough texture. Instead of running the grinder continually, grind the ingredients in small amounts. This keeps the chutney from becoming lumpy by preventing the release of oils and preserving the ideal texture. Once you have a rough, sandy texture, stop grinding.
Don't Skip The Cooling Process
It is important to allow the ingredients to cool completely before grinding after they have been toasted. The texture and shelf life of chutney might be impacted by moisture production that occurs when heated ingredients are ground. It is important to be patient by waiting until the fried ingredients are at room temperature before grinding. By doing this, you can ensure your dry and crispy chutney remains fresh.
Don’t Store In Plastic Containers
You should not use plastic containers to store your sukhi chutney. As time passes, the strong flavours and scents of the spices may absorb into plastic, changing the chutney's flavour. Alternatively, use stainless steel or sealed glass jars. This extends the shelf life of your chutney and continues its flavour, retaining it aromatic and fresh for longer.
Additional Tips:
- For a change, try adding a squeeze of lemon or a pinch of asafoetida.
- For further usage, multiply the recipe by two or three.
- To get the best flavour, eat the chutney fresh.
- To suit your taste, vary the amount of red chilli powder.
These instructions will help you make a sukhi chutney that will go well with your vada pav. Try varying ingredient amounts and spices until you get the flavour profile that you like best.
