Chutneys of India – Day 2 – Ranjaka

My conceptual understanding of chutney happened at Hubli in Karnataka. Everyday meal in North Karnataka must feature a couple of fresh chutneys and chutney powder. It is incomplete without it, even if the meal features a range of subzis and salads.

North Karnataka loves its spicy, coarse, just moist chutneys. The coconut chutney is typically thickened with roasted peanuts. But the regional speciality is the chilly chutney that has no coconut. Chilly in every form is a celebration. From eating it as is, to scalding in oil, to crushing with salt on a stone, to making many jars of ground pastes of chillies, North Karnataka loves its chillies. But strictly in two forms – green and fresh red fruit. Home to the bright red but not too spicy Byadagi chillies, fully dry chilly is used in these regions only in its powdered form.

The most popular chutney is made by grinding ripe chilly fruit with roasted methi seeds, raw mustard seeds, a little jeera, garlic (or hing), lemon juice, a bit of jaggery and salt. This is called ranjaka, the king of the hundreds of chilly chutneys made in this region. Every household has its yearly stock, so does ours.

The other variations are plays with flavors, processes and souring agents. The thokku has raw green tamarind ground with turmeric, salt and raw green chillies. The karandi has chillies and flax seeds cooked in the sun. The list is long. Eaten with peanut or safflower oil, these chutneys can be seen by the jarfuls in literally every household. The chutney powders need another long essay. For later.

PS: The chillies in the picture are from our yard. We grow about 20 varieties, true to our North Karnataka heritage.