Recipe: Mayur's Wood Apple Chutney

A chutney is a great accompaniment to a simple plate of dal, chawal, sabji and rotis. Its often spicy and tangy, and sometimes sweet notes bewitch the tastebuds, and elevate any meal. 

This chutney is made from the lesser-known summer fruit wood apple also known as kaith or kothbel. It has a hard shell and fibrous, muddy-hued flesh that smells sweet but has a pungent flavour.

I vividly remember enjoying this fruit that hawkers would sell outside our school alongside kairi (raw mango), tamarind, bor (jujube), amla (Indian gooseberry), cucumber, etc. With a generous sprinkling of red chilly powder and salt, kavath, which is the Marathi name for wood apple, was typically served on a piece of paper torn from a used notebook.

I had completely forgotten how delicious it tastes until I randomly found it listed on an online grocery app. In a way, this recipe is a nostalgic ode to my childhood memories of eating this much-loved fruit post school.

Wood Apple Chutney

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 1 kaith or kothbel or wood apple
• 3 tbsp grated or powdered gud or jaggery
• 1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1 green chilly, chopped
• 3-4 garlic pods, peeled
• ½-inch piece adrak or ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh green dhania or coriander or cilantro leaves along with the stems
• Salt to taste, about 1 tsp
• Water, about 3 tbsp

Method

• Crack open the wood apple and scoop out its flesh, including the fibre and seeds.
  Combine all the ingredients listed above in a blender and puree until smooth.
  Transfer into a bowl and serve immediately or allow the chutney to chill in refrigerator for an hour before serving. 

Mayur's Note: Have this chutney as a side along with dal-chawal or khichdi. 

It can be used as a dip for pakoras or crackers, or as a spread for theplas, parathas or phulkas. 

Refined sugar or dates can be used as a replacement for jaggery. The sweetener should only balance the tartness and not overpower it.

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