Chatpati Cranberry Chutney

For the last 2 years, I've been having a late Thanksgiving meal at my place. I call it Thanksgiving Indian Style. While I do make all the traditional dishes for my Thanksgiving meal, I add a little Indian twist to each one. This year, since I'm plant-based I'm modifying all of my usual recipes to make plant-based, low-fat versions. Because I will be entertaining omnivores and because sometimes it's difficult to make non-fat foods ahead of time (which I need to do given the number of dishes), I will be using some minimal amount of oil/fat in these dishes - for that, I'll probably use Earth Balance. 

Chatpati Cranberry Chutney

Cranberry Sauce is what made thanksgiving turkey palatable to me when I was still eating meat. My MIL never used to make Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving, until she found out that I liked it. This is also one of the items on my menu that can be made up to a week in advance. For my dinner, in order to add an Indian twist, I convert the traditional sauce into a Chutney.  According to Wikipedia, Chutney refers to a wide-ranging family of condiments from South Asian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spice(s), herb(s), vegetable(s) and/or fruit(s). They are typically grouped into either sweet or hot versions; both versions usually contain spices, including chili peppers, but differ by their main flavors. Chutney types and their preparations vary widely across Pakistan and India. The word itself is derived from the Sanskrit word which means "to lick" and most varieties are used as dipping sauces and condiments, so in some ways, they are the ethnic version of ketchup, mustard and ranch dipping sauce :) !!! A "Chatpati" Chutney is typically a sweet, sour and spicy concoction, that can be eaten with a variety of savory foods!  

Adapted from Plant-Powered Kitchen (Dreena Burton)'s Traditional Cranberry Sauce.

Ingredients:

1. 12 oz (~2.5 cups) fresh Cranberries
2. 1 cup Maple Syrup
3. 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
4. 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
5. 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
6. 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
7. 1/2 tsp All Spice
8. 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
9. 1 tsp Garam Masala

Directions (3-7 days in advance of Dinner):

In a sauce pan, combine all ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have broken down and take on a darker deeper color. Once it has thickened, turn heat off, taste test, add more salt or spices, if needed (mine came out perfect with the above formula) and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for up to 1 week. Serve Chilled!! This was so easy to make and turned out so delish, I could eat it with a spoon :)