Onion Chutney
Sliced onions cooked slowly with brown sugar, vinegar and spices until dark, sticky and jam-like.
Where This Goes Wrong
Slice the onions thin and even.
Keep the heat low for the first stage.
Stir often near the end so the chutney does not catch.
Use sterilised jars, and keep them in the fridge.
Cooking Onion Chutney
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Heat the oil in a wide pan over a low heat. Add the onions and cook for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until very soft.
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Add the sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, salt and chilli flakes and stir until the sugar dissolves.
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Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring more often as it thickens, until dark and sticky.
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Spoon into clean, warm jars and cool. Seal and refrigerate.
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Why It Works
The smell of onions slowly turning from sharp to sweet is the signal that this is working, and it takes longer than you would guess. The onions need to cook right down, past soft and past golden, until they are dark brown and jammy.
Slice the onions thinly and evenly. Thin slices break down into the chutney, while thick ones stay in pieces. Cook them over a low heat with the sugar, stirring now and then. Do not turn the heat up to speed things. High heat burns the sugar and leaves a bitter edge.
The vinegar goes in once the onions are soft. It cuts the sweetness and acts as a preservative. Add the mustard seeds and a pinch of chilli for background warmth.
Simmer until a spoon dragged across the pan leaves a trail that fills slowly. Pot while hot into clean jars. The chutney improves with age, so leave it a week or two before opening a jar. Keep it away from heat and sunlight.
Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping
Keep it in sterilised jars in the fridge and use within 3 weeks. Onions are a low-acid food, the acidity of this chutney has not been measured, and hot jars and a seal alone do not make it safe for the cupboard.
Good With
- Cheddar
- Cold meats
- Sausages
- Cheese on toast
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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