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Indian · Punjabi

Aloo bukhara chutney (sweet-sour plum chutney)

Vegetarian

आलू बुख़ारा चटनी · ālū buḵẖārā caṭnī

Tart red plums simmered with sugar, fennel, nigella, dry ginger and red chilli to a jammy, glossy, sweet-sour chutney. A favourite at North Indian weddings and festive meals.

Aloo bukhara chutney (sweet-sour plum chutney) is an Indian condiment, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with plum and sugar. It serves 14 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
14
Level
Easy
Calories
65

Ingredients

14 servings (about 35 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Wash the plums (opens in a new tab), cut each one around the stone, twist the halves apart and lever out the stone. Chop the flesh into 1 cm pieces, keeping the skins on for colour.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan (opens in a new tab) over medium heat. Add the fennel, nigella and cumin seeds (opens in a new tab) and let them crackle for 20–30 seconds until fragrant, without letting them darken.

    Food safety: Hot oil spits when seeds and leaves go in; keep your face back and have the lid nearby.

  3. Step 3

    Add the plums (opens in a new tab) and water, cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring now and then, until the plums collapse into a soft pulp.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the sugar (opens in a new tab), dry ginger, chilli and salt (and raisins (opens in a new tab), if using). Simmer uncovered, stirring often and scraping the bottom, until glossy and jammy and a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a trail for a second.

    Food safety: Thickening fruit and sugar spits and burns; stir with a long spoon and keep children away.

  5. Step 5

    Stir in the black salt (opens in a new tab), take off the heat and cool completely; it thickens as it cools. Spoon into a clean, dry jar.

About this dish

Origin
Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab, India · Commonly attributedAloo bukhara is the sour plum (named after Bukhara) sold fresh in North Indian summers and dried all year. The chutney is a well-known wedding and dawat chutney in Lucknow, Delhi and Punjab; this version uses fresh plums, with the dried-plum method as a variation.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Simmered, Sautéed
Taste
sweet & sour, fruity, aromatic / warmly spiced, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Plum · Sugar · Fennel seeds · Nigella seeds · Cumin seeds · Ground ginger
Techniques
Sautéing · Simmering

Allergens

  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

65 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 36 g · recipe makes 14

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 2%
  • Carbohydrate 88%
  • Fat 10%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy65 kcal183 kcal
Protein0.3 g0.9 g
Carbohydrate15.1 g42.1 g
Net carbohydrate14.4 g40.4 g
Sugars14.3 g39.9 g
Added sugars10.7 g30 g
Fibre0.6 g1.8 g
Fat0.8 g2.3 g
Saturated fat0.1 g0.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium84 mg234 mg
Salt equivalent0.2 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
65 mg
Calcium
6 mg
Iron
0.2 mg
Magnesium
4 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
10 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
2 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: black salt (kala namak), raisins.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): nigella seeds.
  • Kashmiri chilli powder: Paprika (FDC 171329) used as a stand-in: Kashmiri chilli is a mild, deep-red chilli powder used mainly for colour.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Taste the plums raw: the sourer they are, the better the chutney. Sweet dessert plums need lemon juice to balance.
  • Stop cooking while it still looks a little loose; it sets to a jam-like body when cold.

Common mistakes

  • Over-reducing until it sets like toffee in the fridge.
  • Burning the seeds in the first step, which makes the whole batch bitter.

Serve with

  • Serve with puri and aloo sabzi, kachori, vegetable pulao, biryani or a festive thali.
  • A spoonful goes well with paneer tikka or roast chicken.

Food safety

  • Store in a scrupulously clean, completely dry jar and always use a dry spoon; moisture is what spoils dry chutneys and pickles.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in a clean jar for up to 3 weeks.

Variations

  • Dried aloo bukhara chutney: Soak 200 g dried aloo bukhara in hot water for an hour, stone and mash them, then cook with the same spices and slightly less sugar.
  • Lucknowi style: Finish with a pinch of cardamom and a few slivered almonds for wedding feasts.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

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Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Plum, sour red plums, washed, stoned and chopped (about 450 g flesh)500 g
  • Raisins, rinsed and drained (optional)20 g
Used in steps 1, 3, 4

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