How long will the chutney last?

Truly, months. It's super shelf-stable and that's why it makes a wonderful gift. I love making a big batch and jarring the chutney up during fig season, ready to gift later in the year.

Could I freeze the chutney?

It will freeze well - just transfer it to sealable containers.

Do you have to peel figs?

There's no need to peel them - the skin is edible so just chop them and use them straight away.

I can't find tamarind, is there anything else I can use?

There are a couple of things you can do here. The easiest is to replace the tamarind with pomegranate molasses (but if you can't find tamarind it might be tricky to find this). You can also make a mix of 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of water, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of tomato paste. Or you can just add a little more rice vinegar and lime juice to the recipe - add 50ml extra rice vinegar and 1/4 cup of lime juice.

How can I use the chutney?

There's so much you can do with it, but here are some of my favourites. Spoon into a grilled cheese toasted sandwich, dollop on top of flatbreads or wraps with blue cheese and prosciutto, mix with feta or goat's cheese and stuff into chicken thighs or use with any cheese or charcuterie board! It's also great in this festive tear and share puff pastry Christmas tree , or mini puff pastry Christmas trees , as part of a butter board , or dolloped on top of baked camembert or brie.

Fig and tamarind chutney

Description

This gorgeously dark and sticky fig and tamarind chutney deserves a place front and centre on any cheese or charcuterie board. It’s laced with sour tamarind, warming ginger and is a wonderful way to use of a glut of figs.

Make a big batch when they’re in season and you’ve got holiday gifts sorted!

Ingredients

Units Scale

4lb/2kg fresh figs
200g dark brown sugar
200g caster sugar
50g fresh ginger, grated (or use ginger paste)
5 garlic cloves, grated or crushed
2 large white or yellow onions, diced
70g tamarind paste (if you’re using a dried tamarind block, cut off 50g and dissolve it in 1/2 cup boiling water. Discard the seeds before using)
150ml apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar or rice vinegar)
70g sultanas or raisins
2 teaspoons salt

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Instructions

Prepare the figs. I like to chop them into six pieces, so I chop them in half lengthways, then cut each half into 3 long slices. They’ll break up and soften as the chutney cooks, so I prefer starting with them quite chunky so you can see what they actually are in the chutney when it’s finished.
Combine the ingredients. Add the chopped figs, 150g dark brown sugar, 200g caster sugar, 50g grated ginger, 5 grated garlic cloves, 2 diced onions, 70g tamarind paste, 150ml apple cider vinegar, 70g sultanas and 2 teaspoons of salt into a large pot and set it on the stove top. Give everything a good mix, then turn the heat to low. Bring to a simmer, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 1.5 hours, until the chutney has reduced by about ⅓. It’ll be looking dark, thick, sticky and smelling GLORIOUS.
Sterilise your jars. I like to do this about an hour into the cooking process, so that the jars are warm when the chutney is ready. It’s crucial to sterilise your jars if you’re wanting to keep the chutney at room temperature for a long period of time. I have a full guide that shows you how to sterilise jars and why it’s important, but it’s a simple job. Set your oven on 160C fan, then wash the jars and lids you want to use in soapy water. Give them a rinse but don’t dry them. Set them upside down on a baking paper lined oven tray and then put them in the oven for at least 20 minutes (remove any rubber seals from the jars first). Leave them in there with the oven turned off until you’re ready to use them. REMEMBER: Glass reacts to extreme temperature changes so never add hot food to cold jars, or cold food to hot jars. The glass may shatter, which not only is dangerous, but it makes a big mess and you’ll waste all your chutney. Make sure the contents and the jars are a similar temperature.
Transfer the chutney into the jars. Once the chutney is looking dark and sticky, it’s done! Carefully spoon the chutney into the prepared jars (or use a funnel if you’re clever enough to have one). Leave the chutney sitting in the jars for about 15 minutes before sealing with the lids. Make sure to leave a small gap at the top of the jar as you do this.

Notes

The chutney will keep for months at room temperature when stored in sterilised jars.

It’s fabulous with cheese and charcuterie boards, in a grilled cheese toasted sandwich, dolloped on top of pizza or flatbreads (I love it with prosciutto and blue cheese for an elite sweet and salty flavour pairing) or stuffed into chicken thighs with goats cheese.

The chutney also makes a wonderful gift and is perfect for Christmas. Just include storage instructions with your gift.

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 90
Category: sauces
Method: stove
Cuisine: american

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2 tablespoons

Keywords: best fig relish, fig chutney, christmas chutney