Description
The delightful Bengali plastic chutney is made by cooking raw papaya along with sugar and lemon juice. This combination gives the raw papaya a texture reminiscent of melted plastic, thus earning it its unique name.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 Raw Papaya (Medium size)
- 10 Cashew Nut
- 15 Raisin
- 3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 100g Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp. Salt
- 1/2 Tsp. Panch Phoron/ Bengali Five spices
- 1 Dry Red Chili
- 1 Tbsp. Mustard Oil
Instructions
- Remove the outer skin of the raw papaya and discard the seeds. Slice it into thin rectangular or square pieces, as shown in the picture.
- Before cooking, soak the papaya in water for 15 minutes.
- In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of mustard oil and add Panch Phoron and Dry Red Chili to temper the oil.
- Next, add the chopped raw papaya and a pinch of salt, giving it a gentle mix.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
- The raw papaya will release enough moisture, so there is no need to add water.
- Once the papaya pieces become soft, add 10 cashew nuts and 15 raisins, lightly mixing them in.
- Then, add 100 grams of sugar and cook until it completely dissolves.
- Stir in 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and continue cooking until the gravy thickens slightly and the papaya pieces become translucent or semi-transparent.
- Turn off the heat and allow the chutney to cool.
- Serve this delightful chutney after a meal, alongside Papor Bhaja!
Notes
- You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on your preferred level of sweetness. We recommend a moderately sweet taste that balances well with the other flavors.
- Panchphoron, a blend of equal amounts of nigella seed, fennel seed, cumin seed, mustard seed, and fenugreek seed, is a spice mix popular in Bengali cuisine.
- Plastic chutney cannot be made from ripe papaya. Only unripe papaya is suitable for this purpose.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Chutney
- Method: cooking
- Cuisine: Bengali
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 120g
- Calories: 284
- Sugar: 44.4g
- Sodium: 158mg
- Fat: 7.1g
- Saturated Fat: 1.3g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 2.7g
- Protein: 3.3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
