This is a small batch recipe for Onion Chutney, yielding about 6 oz. Chunks of sweet onions are caramelized, then brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and balsamic vinegar are added. The end result is a sweet and tangy condiment with notes of warm spices.
Oh where does this Onion Chutney belong? Why, on a cheese board, or as a condiment with burgers or Indian style curries.
Ingredients
- Onions: fresh, preferably organic.
- Sugar: brown.
- Olive oil.
- Balsamic vinegar.
- Cloves: ground.
- Cinnamon: ground.
Instructions
Peel and chop the onions into large chunks.
Pour the oil into a pan and over a low / medium heat sauté the onions.
After about 40 minutes when the onions have started to caramelize (sugars in the onions convert to caramel), add the brown sugar.
Continue adding ingredients by adding the ground cinnamon and cloves.
Lastly, add the balsamic vinegar and stir well.
Continue sautéing for another 20 minutes or so or until a deep colored, rich, thick caramelized onion mixture is formed. Allow to cool in the pan, then transfer to a mason or jelly jar.
Sautéing or Caramelization?
Chopped onions sautéing in a pan of oil will soften after about 12 minutes depending on the type of onions used. Onions will appear soft and translucent. They are considered cooked.
On the contrary, caramelized onions need about 60 minutes or longer of cooking time. There will be a reduction in the quantity of onions in the pan, the onions will look, smell and taste different. There will be clear evidence that the caramelization process has occurred – the sugars in the onions convert to caramel and it is this that causes the onions to look, smell and taste different than sautéed onions.
Flexibility
I chose Vidalia sweet onions for this recipe. They take longer to caramelize but due to their higher sugar content (12% compared with 5% in yellow onions) they provide more caramelization. More caramelization means more taste. All onion varieties work for this recipe. The sugar quantity may be increased or the vinegar content decreased. The goal is to have an evenly balanced chutney at the end.
Warm spices complement this chutney especially cinnamon and cloves. Nutmeg, ginger, all spice and vanilla are all great additional ingredients or substitutions.
Choose a rich developed vinegar, that’s why I prefer using balsamic vinegar for this recipe. Other vinegar suggestions include red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar and rice wine vinegar.
Uses for Onion Chutney
Onion Chutney is delicious on a cheese board, served with Naan bread to accompany Indian style curries, with sandwiches or my favorite as a condiment on a Slider Bar.
Storage
Store Onion Chutney in a mason or jelly jar. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Do not freeze.
A Tip From Me
What is the Difference between Sautéing and Frying?
Sautéing and frying are similar cooking techniques with different end results. They both use or rather need fat (liquid (oil)or solid (coconut oil, lard)) in order to have success. Frying can be shallow frying which uses enough oil to cook the food on one side. The food is then turned and cooked on the other side. A great example of shallow frying is when cooking Schnitzel.
In addition to shallow frying, there is also deep frying, where the food is submerged in oil and fully cooked in less time. No need for turning.
Sautéing is cooking food in less fat than shallow frying, using a lower heat setting and allowing the food to slowly and gently sizzle. It’s a kinder, slower method of cooking with oil. It takes patience!
This recipe absolutely relies on sautéing to achieve perfectly caramelized onions.
Got Questions?
I’ve got answers – hopefully!
- How can I speed up this recipe? You can’t. Slow and steady will win this race of achieving beautifully caramelized onions with warm spiced tanginess.
- How do I make this Onion Chutney more Indian? Great question, add Indian blends such as garam masala or individual spices such as cardamom, cumin, coriander, and ginger.
- What is the difference between chutney and relish? Chutney is sweeter and smoother, relish has courser chunkier pieces of fruits and vegetables and may or may not be sweet.
Onion Chutney
Ingredients
- 4 onions, large. I prefer Vidalia or other type of sweet onion.
- 5 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 oz balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onions into large chunks.
- Pour the oil into a pan and over a medium heat sauté the onions.
- After about 40 minutes when the onions have started to caramelize (sugars in the onions convert to caramel), add the brown sugar.
- Add the ground cinnamon and cloves.
- Lastly, add the balsamic vinegar and stir well.
- Continue sautéing for another 20 minutes of so or until a deep colored, rich, thick caramelized onion mixture is formed. Allow to cool in the pan then transfer to a mason or jelly jar.
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