Plastic Chutney or Green Papaya Chutney is unique Bengali taste loved and served in lunch, dinner and breakfast. It is not plastic but looks like melted plastic so people call it plastic chutney. It is not made from any seasonable vegetable so it is prepared in any season. Plastic chutney makes the combination of taste sweet and sour gives you an expression of awesome after eating. Plastic Chutney is also made from raw mango or pineapple when the papaya is not available. It is served in the household but also served in wedding ceremony and function to make the unique texture of caterers.
Recipe:-
Total time taken for making chutney is almost 20-30 min
Ingredients needed for making process are:-
Raw papaya, Cashew Nuts, Raisin, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Warm Water, Salt, Panch Phoron, Bengali Five Spices, Dry Red Chilli, Mustard Oil
Making Process:-
1) Wash the raw papaya thoroughly and slice off the top. Peel off the skin of the raw papaya totally using a peeler. Slice the papaya lengthwise into two equal halves. Take each of the slices and chop up the entire papaya into paper thin slices.
2) In a pan take water. Add the sugar. The quantity of water to sugar should be in the ratio 2:1. Turn the heat to high and bring the contents of the pan to a rolling boil. Add the papaya slices now, mix well and cook covered. Let the papaya slices cook for 5 minutes, soften a little, then add salt, mix and again cook covered.
c) Once the papaya slices have cooked completely, which you can know by pressing a slice of papaya with your fingers. If it cuts through into two your papaya is cooked.
d) Add the lemon zest and mix. Ferment the heat and let everything in the pan cook till almost all the water has evaporated and your chutney reaches a thick consistency. No need to cover the pan now.
e) While the Chutney is fermenting away to reach its final consistency, prepare the tempering. Take a separate small pan. Heat oil and when hot add the fennel seeds and dry red chillies. Let them crackle. Once they become fragrant add the resins and let them become plump. Remove from the burner and keep aside ready to use.
f) Add the tempering to the chutney. Stir and mix. You can ferment everything for a minute before removing your pan from the burner. Transfer the chutney from the pan into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
Your Plastic Chutney is ready. You can store the chutney in an airtight container once completely cooled and refrigerate. This chutney can remain for weeks if you prevent the chutney jar from cross contamination.
Note – You can also add the saffron along with the milk or water. You can skip adding saffron to go with the traditional white coloured papaya chutney. Alternately you can use yellow food colour also.
Enjoy your Plastic Chutney as a side dish with your rice, roti and curry meals. They make for an excellent accompaniment with your parathas and a wonderful dip with fiery snacks and appetizers.
