Ber ki chutney is made from ber, chilies, garlic, and other ingredients and can be made in two different ways. Here in this recipe, you will learn the steps to make cooked or raw ber ki chutney.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Ber ki chutney is quick and easy to make at home.
- Use a glass or plastic airtight container to store the chutney in your fridge for a longer shelf life.
- You can serve the chutney with Indian bread, snack items, rice dishes, street food delicacies, South Indian dishes, grilled meat, salads and more.
- While cooked ber ki chutney offers a sweet taste, raw ber ki chutney offers a zesty and spicy taste.
- A similar taste as ber ki chutney is offered by tamarind chutney, pineapple chutney, raw or ripe mango chutney and a combination of tamarind with date or tomato chutney.
I heard about this recipe from one of friends while chatting at night. She had learnt it from her grandma. She described it so lovingly that I had to try making it. We cooked it together the next day, measuring spices by feeling rather than cups. It was a beautiful bonding moment. Since then, I’ve passed it on to friends who say it reminds them of home too. I am happy to bring back warm memories to people through my recipe.
How to Make Ber Ki Chutney? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
To make the cooked ber ki chutney:
Step 1: Take 250 gm of ripe ber. Wash them and keep them under the sun for a day to dry them and get rid of the moisture. Now, split each of the ber pieces.
(Pro tip: Drying the ber for a day in the sun is not mandatory. However, drying it will eventually give a nice texture and look to the chutney. Mind it, do not wash the fruits once you have split them. This will make them slimy).
Step 2: Now, take a wok or a frying pan and heat it on a medium flame on your gas stove. When it is sufficiently hot, put 1 tbsp of Indian Five Spice Blend (panch phoron) and 1 tsp of fennel seeds in it. Stir the spices continuously for about a minute or two to dry roast them nicely on a medium flame until they change their color slightly.
(Pro tip: Do not over-roast or burn them. Burnt spices will eventually affect the flavor and taste of the chutney by giving it an unpleasant bitter taste. When done, transfer the roasted spices to a separate plate, cool them at room temperature, and then grind them to a relatively coarse powder).
Step 3: Now, put 1 tbsp of oil in the wok. Put 3 pieces of dry red chilies in it first. Stir them for about 15 to 20 seconds to fry them slightly.
(Pro tip: You can use any type of white oil you use at home, or even mustard oil. Also, you can increase or decrease the number of dry red chilies according to your preference).
Step 4: When the red chilies are fried nicely, now add 250 gm of split ripe ber (kul or jujube) in it. Follow it with ½ tsp of table salt and ¼ tsp of turmeric powder.
Step 5: Set the flame of your gas stove to low and stir the ingredients for about a minute continuously to mix everything nicely.
(Pro tip: Stirring continuously is crucial at this stage. The split bers are prone to getting cooked very quickly and start burning pretty fast. Burnt fruits will render an unpleasant taste to the chutney. Stirring will prevent the bers from getting burnt).
Step 6: When everything is mixed nicely, cover the wok and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
(Pro tip: Do not worry about the bers getting burnt this time. The cover will not let the steam evaporate. The salt and vapor will prevent the fruits from becoming dry and getting burnt).
Step 7: After 5 minutes of cooking, you will notice that juice is coming out of the bers. At this stage, add 2 tbsp of sugar and 2 tbsp of jaggery (sugarcane) in it. Mix them all nicely.
(Pro tip: You can make this chutney with only sugar or only sugarcane jaggery as well. However, it is better to use both sugar and jaggery for sweetening the chutney. This will not only give a unique look to the chutney but will also give it a unique taste and flavor. You may increase or decrease the amount of sugar and jaggery depending on the amount of chutney you are making and your taste preferences).
Step 8: Mix them nicely and wait for the jaggery to start melting. At this point, add ½ cup of water to it. Mix everything nicely.
Step 9: Cover it and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so on a low to medium flame. The sugar and jaggery will have melted nicely and the bers will have cooked nicely to become soft and supple.
Step 10: Use your spatula to mash a few of the fruits. This will add to the texture of the chutney eventually giving it a thicker texture.
Step 11: Now, add the roasted and ground spices to the chutney. It will be about 1.5 tsp of powder (save a pinch or two). Mix it nicely with the chutney. Let it cook for another 5 to 6 minutes on a low to medium flame.
(Pro tip: This stage of the cooking process is very important and should not be skipped or rushed to end it. This will allow the excess water or moisture to evaporate from the chutney thereby helping in retaining its flavor and taste for a longer period. If there is moisture in the chutney it will result in fungus developing in it and turning the chutney stale).
Step 12: When the moisture has evaporated completely and the chutney has become thicker, transfer it to a bowl.
Step 13: Garnish it by sprinkling a pinch or two of the roasted spices you saved earlier, and your sweet, tasty, homemade ber ki chutney will be finally ready to be served with a variety of snack items or main dishes. You can also have it just like that.
Raw (uncooked) ber ki chutney:
If you want to make ber ki chutney real quick and do not want to go through all the hassles of cooking or other elaborative processes, here is an easy and quick way to make a chutney with raw ber.
Step 1: Take 300 gm of ber, cut them into small pieces, and discard the seeds.
(Pro tip: It is better to take a mixture of both ripe and unripe variants of ber. This will give a nice tangy taste and a unique flavor to the chutney).
Step 2: Transfer the pieces of ber to a mixer grinder. Then add 15 to 20 cloves of deskinned garlic, 8 to 10 pieces of black pepper, 6 whole pieces of fresh green chilies, and ½ tsp of black salt to the grinder.
Step 3: Now, grind it to a paste.
(Pro tip: Do not add water while grinding. It will make the chutney slimy).
Step 4: Transfer the paste to a bowl.
Step 5: Now, add 1 tbsp of mustard oil to it and mix it nicely.
Step 6: Garnish the chutney with a few fried dry red chilies and a pinch of crushed black pepper. Your raw or uncooked ber ki chutney is ready to be consumed with a variety of dishes or simply as it is.
Recipe Card
Ber Ki Chutney
Ingredients
For making the cooked ber ki chutney:
- 250 gm ber kul or jujube, ripe
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp jaggery sugarcane
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 3 pieces dry red chilies
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp Indian Five Spice Blend panch phron
- ½ cup water
For making the raw ber ki chutney:
- 300 gm ber
- 20 cloves garlic deskinned
- 10 pieces black pepper
- 6 pieces green chilies
- ½ tsp black salt
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
Instructions
To make the cooked ber ki chutney:
- Take 250 gm of ripe ber. Wash them and keep them under the sun for a day to dry them and get rid of the moisture. Now, split each of the ber pieces. (Pro tip: Drying the ber for a day in the sun is not mandatory. However, drying it will eventually give a nice texture and look to the chutney. Mind it, do not wash the fruits once you have split them. This will make them slimy).
- Now, take a wok or a frying pan and heat it on a medium flame on your gas stove. When it is sufficiently hot, put 1 tbsp of Indian Five Spice Blend (panch phoron) and 1 tsp of fennel seeds in it. Stir the spices continuously for about a minute or two to dry roast them nicely on a medium flame until they change their color slightly. (Pro tip: Do not over-roast or burn them. Burnt spices will eventually affect the flavor and taste of the chutney by giving it an unpleasant bitter taste. When done, transfer the roasted spices to a separate plate, cool them at room temperature, and then grind them to a relatively coarse powder).
- Now, put 1 tbsp of oil in the wok. Put 3 pieces of dry red chilies in it first. Stir them for about 15 to 20 seconds to fry them slightly. (Pro tip: You can use any type of white oil you use at home, or even mustard oil. Also, you can increase or decrease the number of dry red chilies according to your preference).
- When the red chilies are fried nicely, now add 250 gm of split ripe ber (kul or jujube) in it. Follow it with ½ tsp of table salt and ¼ tsp of turmeric powder.
- Set the flame of your gas stove to low and stir the ingredients for about a minute continuously to mix everything nicely. (Pro tip: Stirring continuously is crucial at this stage. The split bers are prone to getting cooked very quickly and start burning pretty fast. Burnt fruits will render an unpleasant taste to the chutney. Stirring will prevent the bers from getting burnt).
- When everything is mixed nicely, cover the wok and let it cook for another 5 minutes. (Pro tip: Do not worry about the bers getting burnt this time. The cover will not let the steam evaporate. The salt and vapor will prevent the fruits from becoming dry and getting burnt).
- After 5 minutes of cooking, you will notice that juice is coming out of the bers. At this stage, add 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of jaggery (sugarcane) in it. Mix them all nicely. (Pro tip: You can make this chutney with only sugar or only sugarcane jaggery as well. However, it is better to use both sugar and jaggery for sweetening the chutney. This will not only give a unique look to the chutney but will also give it a unique taste and flavor. You may increase or decrease the amount of sugar and jaggery depending on the amount of chutney you are making and your taste preferences).
- Mix them nicely and wait for the jaggery to start melting. At this point, add ½ cup of water to it. Mix everything nicely.
- Cover it and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so on a low to medium flame. The sugar and jaggery will have melted nicely and the bers will have cooked nicely to become soft and supple.
- Use your spatula to mash a few of the fruits. This will add to the texture of the chutney eventually giving it a thicker texture.
- Now, add the roasted and ground spices to the chutney. It will be about 1.5 tsp of powder (save a pinch or two). Mix it nicely with the chutney. Let it cook for another 5 to 6 minutes on a low to medium flame. (Pro tip: This stage of the cooking process is very important and should not be skipped or rushed to end it. This will allow the excess water or moisture to evaporate from the chutney thereby helping in retaining its flavor and taste for a longer period. If there is moisture in the chutney it will result in fungus developing in it and turning the chutney stale).
- When the moisture has evaporated completely and the chutney has become thicker, transfer it to a bowl.
- Garnish it by sprinkling a pinch or two of the roasted spices you saved earlier, and your sweet, tasty, homemade ber ki chutney will be finally ready to be served with a variety of snack items or main dishes. You can also have it just like that.
Raw (uncooked) ber ki chutney:
- Take 300 gm of ber, cut them into small pieces, and discard the seeds. (Pro tip: It is better to take a mixture of both ripe and unripe variants of ber. This will give a nice tangy taste and a unique flavor to the chutney).
- Transfer the pieces of ber to a mixer grinder. Then add 15 to 20 cloves of deskinned garlic, 8 to 10 pieces of black pepper, 6 whole pieces of fresh green chilies, and ½ tsp of black salt to the grinder.
- Now, grind it to a paste. (Pro tip: Do not add water while grinding. It will make the chutney slimy).
- Transfer the paste to a bowl.
- Now, add 2 tbsp of mustard oil to it and mix it nicely.
- Garnish the chutney with a few fried dry red chilies and a pinch of crushed black pepper. Your raw or uncooked ber ki chutney is ready to be consumed with a variety of dishes or simply as it is.
