Unripe Melon Chutney

Have you had an unripe melon?This was a way to salvage it. And calm the pitta. Chutneys are very much part of the Ayurvedic diet. This chutney supports the Vata and Kapha constitutions but is very warming and hence disturbs the Pitta type. Use is small quantities in the height of the summer for all types. If bottled in season it’s wonderful for autumn and winter.

Adapt for Pitta Reduce ginger, garlic and apple cider vinegar. Add coriander seeds, fennel seeds, scraped coconut and maple syrup instead of coconut sugar. And add dried mint. Changing the properties of the chutney. Fruits enhance OJAS, the finest by-product of digestion, which sustains life itself according to Ayurveda. Fresh fruit chutneys add flavour to the meal, and help add a number of tastes—. Spicy fruit chutney ingredients bring balance to mild dishes, while sweet chutneys bring balance to spicy dishes.

Ingredients

1 Cantaloupe (Small unripe 2/3 grated and the rest diced )

1 tbsp Raw Ginger Root (finely diced)

1 clove Garlic (Finely mashed)

1/2 Green Chili Pepper (de-seeded and finely diced)

1 tsp Black Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp Nigella Seeds (aka Kalonji)

1/2 piece Cinnamon Stick

4 Black Peppercorns

1 1/2 tbsps Coconut Oil (divided)

1/2 tsp Chana Daal

6 Curry Leaves

1/2 cup Coconut Sugar (Or Jaggery. add more to taste)

1 tbsp Rice Vinegar

Directions

Peel and grate 2/3 of the melon. Cut into a small dice the rest. Meanwhile, prep all the other ingredients: Peel and chop the ginger, finely chop the chiles, Gather the spices.

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add all the spices one by one allowing them to roast for a few seconds.Then add the ginger and garlic. Add the grated melon and the diced mix everything for a few minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for half an hour stirring occasionally.

Finally add the coconut sugar or jaggery. Cook for another 15 minutes until the mixture starts to glisten. Take off the heat and let it cool before you pour it into a glass jar. Use within a week. If you want to keep it longer and have made multiple jars, keep in a cool dark place for at least three weeks before use.

Finally in 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil roast the chana dal and curry leaves. Garnish on top of the cooked chutney.