Loquat Chutney - Chinese Fruit Meets Indian Flavor ~ The Garden of Eating

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Loquat Chutney - Chinese Fruit Meets Indian Flavor

We're in the thick of loquat season here in Berkeley. Many of the loquat trees are so laden with these exotic orange fruits that they look as if they might actually topple over.

Since I lived on the east coast for 29 years without ever once encountering a loquat tree, I realize that many of you may be wondering what on earth a loquat is... If so, loquats are a delicious fruit that are native to southeastern China but that also seem to flourish here in California. They have a juicy flesh that is somewhat firm and very sweet. Their flavor is hard to describe but I personally think it falls somewhere between an apple and an apricot, if you can imagine that. Each fruit contains two big, beautiful seeds that look like little balls of polished wood).

Although it is extremely easy to forage for loquats here in North Berkeley, my brother and his family actually have a big loquat tree growing behind their house which makes it even easier to pick them.

We recently got together to make a big batch of loquat chutney. The fruits are a perfect choice for this spicy, sweet treat. My adorable niece Lila helped pick the loquats and did her share of eating the fruits, too, as her sticky little face can attest.

Lila with her bowl of loquats (very proud)

The seeds do make this task a bit more time-consuming but many hands will make the work go quickly so this is a good thing to do with friends. I recommend making a big batch and canning it since a jar of loquat chutney makes a very nice gift.

1/2 pint jars of loquat chutney, fresh from a refreshing boiling water bath

I made a special label for my jars (move over Martha Stewart...) which you can see below and are also welcome to use for your own jars if you like. I took my inspiration from a beautiful Chinese painting of a loquat tree and bird from the time of the Song Dynasty (though my version is done in colored pencil.) For more detailed instructions on how to can foods, read my "how to" post here or check out Sunset magazine's nice online tutorial.

Loquat Chutney Label, copyright Eve Fox 2009

Loquat Chutney

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 pounds loquats -- washed, de-seeded and cut into small pieces
* 1 pound onion -- chopped
* 1/2 pound apples, grated
* 1 pound sugar
* 2 teaspoons mustard
* 2 teaspoons sea salt
* 1 teaspoon curry powder
* 1 tbsp mustard seeds, crushed
* 1 tablespoon molasses
* 2 tbsps fresh ginger, peeled and julienned into thin strips
* 1 pint (2 cups) apple cider vinegar
* 2 cups water
* 1/4 cup raisins or currants

Directions

1. Put all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook gently until soft and a good color, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours, stirring regularly to prevent the chutney from sticking or burning.

2. Boil the canning jars (1/2 pint , 1 pint, etc., the size is up to you) and lids to sterilize them (you can also sterilize them in your dish washer if you prefer.)

Pour the hot chutney into the hot jars, being sure to leave half an inch of headroom in each jar.

Filling the jars with loquat chutney. The sterilized funnel makes it a neater process.

Drop the sterilized lids on, cover with the rings and tighten until well closed.

My husband tightening the lids on the jars of loquat chutney before they go into the canner

3. Process the sealed jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Remove the jars from the boiling water bath and let cool in a draft-free place overnight. Check the lids to make sure they've popped down to ensure they're properly sealed (I love the sound the jars make as they seal.) If any of the lids have not sealed properly, refrigerate those jars and use them right away. The rest can be stored in a cool dark place for 9 months.

This chutney is a nice accompaniment to roasted meats, lamb burgers, kabobs of all kinds, Indian food, vegetable fritters, and many more things.

You may also like the following posts:

On Canning and Preserving

On Foraged Foods

10 comments:

maybelles mom said...: Sounds delicious. Loquats bring me back to my days in Berkeley.; July 4, 2009 9:52 AM
Lynn said...: Enjoyed this post Eve. I've never had a loquat, it's nice to get introduced. I have a huge amount of apricots sitting on my kitchen counter that have been waiting for me to make them into jam. Since apricots are calling my name, and I don't know where to get loquats in Sacramento, I'll try your chutney recipe and substitute apricots!; July 4, 2009 3:22 PM
Alicia said...: Sounds scrumptious. I'll have to see if Whole Foods have any. I haven't eaten on fresh since my best friend & hubbie lived in Berkely while he was at U of C. Loved visiting.
A zest fourth weekend to you!!!
I love how Lila is in the spokemodel stance...too cute!!!; July 4, 2009 5:31 PM
Kristie said...: What a lovely loquat photo of little Lila. She's just scrumptious.
Love, Kristie; July 5, 2009 8:02 AM
Laura said...: We have a loquat tree in our backyard that has a ton of fruit. We made 3 batches of your chutney. It is FABULOUS!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!; June 6, 2010 3:04 PM
John Hutt said...: Did you peel the loquats?; December 17, 2010 7:29 AM
Eve Fox said...: Hi John, nope, no need to peel them, just wash and remove the seeds (which is rather time-consuming, but worth it!); December 17, 2010 8:13 AM
Emma said...: Is that much sugar necessary for the recipe to turn out? My loquat tree is very full, and your recipe sounds delicious, and much more versatile than jam! I'm very new to preserving foods, don't eat much sugar, and never use artifical sweeteners, so the large volume of sugar is freaking me out a bit :)
Thanks for any guidance!; April 14, 2011 12:15 PM
Eve Fox said...: Hi Emma, it is an astounding amount of sugar, isn't it? I'm sure you could cut it down some but you need to keep in mind that sugar is part of what preserves the food so you'd probably want to eat it in the short term and not save it for months and months.; April 14, 2011 3:43 PM
Emma said...: Ahhh, I see :) I actually didn't think of sugar as the preservative since this is a new endeavor for me. Thank you so much for the guidance - I think I'll just make it like the expert advises instead of testing my inexperience with such a labor intensive fruit!; April 14, 2011 6:05 PM