MAKING OF THE (not) SIMPLE NAGA CHUTNEY

Lulu and the coriander leaves  

Well, Godavari girls are fun and fearless and it might have been one of the reasons why there was no resentment in trying the Naga chutney. This ‘easy to make’ looking chutney was not easy at all, the incident happened along the way. Let me narrate,

Lulu (Longkoi) called me during lunch hours to lend her a helping hand, at 5 pm we decided to meet in the kitchen. But, when the clock struck 5, the scene was not very attractive; one of the helper uncles in his utter smartness had used the electric mixer to grind the garlic, chilies and tomatoes- it was but a horrible paste, the paste of tomatoes was thicker than that of chilies giving a very tomato sauce look. Wow, wow that is so not the way to make the Naga chutney. The authentic way of making the chutney is by roasting the tomatoes and the chilies on the warm ashes (a champion of the fire), take them out; put in a little salt (according to preference), and pound them with a pestle till it’s almost a paste, add garlic and pound them together. Anyway, there is a saying that sometimes great confusion brings about great solution, so, like a eureka moment an idea struck us, we took some tomatoes and chilies and heated them, pounded them and with graceful prudence mixed it with the existing paste, added freshly chopped garlic and cooked (like a curry) the whole ingredients so to balance all the medium, finally when it was done we added coriander leaves and salt. Served it hot. Lulu says the chutney was well appreciated by the ladies of the house :)