Bengali Tomato Jam

Begin by roughly chopping at least 4-5 large tomatoes. Try and remove as much of the watery centre as possible. Chop half an onion, grate some ginger, and thinly slice a chili pepper. Be sure to test your pepper first and add the chili accordingly. I used a very hot ghost chili and therefore I only needed a tiny sliver to give the entire batch A LOT of heat. 

For this recipe you're going to want some "Panch Puran" or Bengali 5 Spice mix. I have a recipe on this website here but you can also make your own spice blend if you have any or all of the following spice seeds: Mustard (brown or black), Nigella/Kalonji seed (sometimes called black cumin or black onion, cumin, fennel or fenugreek.

Begin by heating up a small amount of oil in a small pot and gently fry the onion, ginger and chili on medium heat. Add some salt, the spices, and sizzle for a few minutes. 

Add the chopped tomatoes, about 3/4 cup of brown sugar and about 1/4 cup of water (if you have some cornstarch, add about a teaspoon to the water and combine before adding to the chutney. 

Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions and tomatoes have cooked down, and everything is thick and sticky. This might take a while so pour yourself a drink and prep some snacks or meals for the week (I'm assuming you're making this on a Sunday, Good call.) Add a splash of lemon juice, maybe the juice of half or even a whole lemon, to add a bit of sour tanginess. Taste and add salt if necessary. Continue to cook until most of the moisture is absorbed.

When the chutney has reached desired consistency, allow it to cool off significantly — this will help the excess liquid to evaporate. You can enjoy this right away or store in a jar! This will keep for a few weeks.