Wild forest herbs and char (a wild souring fruit) pounded together into a pungent forest chutney — the tribal condiment of Bastar that uses entirely forest-sourced ingredients.
Ingredients
2 tbsp char chutney base: char is a wild sour fruit of Chhattisgarh forests (Buchanania lanzan) — if unavailable substitute with 1 tbsp tamarind + 1 tsp amchur
4 green chillies — roasted over a flame
3 garlic cloves — roasted briefly
1 small onion — roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
Method
Roast green chillies directly over a flame until blistered. Roast garlic briefly.
In a mortar pound the roasted green chillies and garlic to a rough paste.
Add the char fruit (or tamarind-amchur combination), roughly chopped onion and fresh coriander.
Pound together to a coarse paste — keep visible texture.
Add salt and lemon juice. Mix.
Taste — the chutney should be fiery from chilli, pungent from garlic and sour from char or tamarind.