Dishi Amra-r Ambol | Bengali Hog Plum Chutney | Amra'r Tok Recipe

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Dishi Amrar Ambol is a flavorful, seasonal condiment from Bengal, made with the tangy Indian Hog Plum, also known as Amra.

Course Condiment

Cuisine Bengali

Keyword amra'r tok recipe, bengali hog plum chutney recipe, Debjanir Rannaghar, Dishi Aamra-r Chutney Recipe, dishi amra-r ambol recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 249kcal

Cost Rs 100

Get Recipe Ingredients

You'll need about 10 unripe Hog Plums, the Indian type.
Peel them. Use something heavy, like a mortar and pestle, to lightly smash each plum a couple of times to break them up slightly. This makes it easier for the juice to come out. These plums are hard to cut because of the pit, so smashing them helps.
Next, heat 1 tablespoon of mustard oil in a pan.
Add either 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds or 1 teaspoon of Bengali five-spice as tempering. Either one is fine, but mustard seeds are preferred.
Toss in a dried red chili too.
Then, add the smashed plums, followed by 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After that, add about 500ml of water and let the plums cook on low heat for at least 20 minutes. The longer they cook, the more juice they'll release.
After 20 minutes, add 10 tablespoons of sugar or 150g of jaggery and mix well.
Cook for 5 more minutes, then turn off the heat. The Amra-r Ambol should be somewhat liquidy.
Add more water if it's too thick. Let it sit at room temperature before you eat it. For the best taste, you can also keep Dishi Amrar Ambol in the fridge.

This recipe needs small, sour Indian hog plums, called Dishi Amra. The big, sweet kind won't work.
You can use either mustard seeds or Bengali Panch Phoron for flavoring. But, I like to use just mustard seeds instead of the more complex Bengali five-spice mix.
A key step is to cook the hog plums for a long time without adding sugar or jaggery, so they become soft while boiling. This helps the hog plums release their sour juice. After the juice comes out, add sugar or jaggery to make it sweet and sour. This makes it easier to get the right taste.
You can use sugar or jaggery in the same way. Usually, one tablespoon of sugar is used for each hog plum. You can add more or less depending on how it tastes.