Kasundi is a traditional Bengali (Eastern India) recipe for a fermented mustard condiment which was used in starter/appetiser dishes as it cleared the sinuses and cleansed the palate ready to take in the more complex flavours of the curries which came after. Made with only four ingredients – mustard seeds, water, salt and chilli – it has a fascinating history as a preserve that only elite women and religious men could have a hand in producing, with elaborate ceremonies and rituals forming part of the process. You can read more about that here if you like.

In Western cuisine, Kasundi has taken on a more gentle profile, resembling a spicy chutney more than a mustard, and more and more, you’ll see tomato and eggplant kasundi being the representatives. Given that one of the traditional Bengali additions to kasundi was green mango, one year we tried a basic recipe with kiwi fruit instead, as both fruits have similar sharp, sweet flavours, and it turned out to be an absolute winner!

Ingredients:

100g ginger, chopped

10 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/4 cupes cider vinegar

1/2 cup canola or mustard oil

1 medium brown onion, chopped

2tbsp ground cumin

2tbsp mustard seeds (black or yellow or a mixture)

1tbsp ground turmeric

1tbsp chilli powder

1tsp pure salt

1kg kiwifruit, peeled & diced

1 1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sultanas

Method:

1. Heat oil in large pot, then add garlic, ginger, onion, mustard seeds, turmeric, chilli and cumin.
2. Fry – stirring constantly – over high heat for a couple of minutes until onions soften slightly.
3. Add all other ingredients, stir well to combine, then bring to the boil.
4. Turn to a medium heat and simmer for an hour or so until the consistency is thick and oil rises to the top.
5. Spoon into hot sterilised jars , top up with a thin layer of oil, and seal while hot

Store in a cool dark cupboard for potentially years before opening, then in the fridge once you’ve cracked the jar. Like most chutneys and vinegar-based preserves, this benefits from being stored for 1-2 months before opening so the flavours can mellow and develop.

NOTES

* You could make this recipe using green mangoes, ripe mangoes, tomatoes (peeled) or eggplants (salt them first) too.

* If you’re scaling up this recipe (our batch in the photos is a 5x batch), fry off spices and combine everything in one mega pot, but then split it across two pots to simmer. It’ll take less time to simmer off the liquids, meaning it’s less likely you’ll burn the base. (Although that still happens frequently for us when working with large batches of chutney!)

* It’s preferable to use pure salt for preserving, as the additives in regular table salt can affect the taste and appearance of many preserves. Pure salt is salt that has no additives. Lake, sea, kosher, ‘pickling’, rock: they’re all pure. When measuring by volume rather than weight, make sure to use granulated salt though, otherwise the ratios will be off.

Xo

NannaAnna

Permaculture Principle 2: Catch & store energy; 3: Obtain a yield; 6: Produce no waste

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