Apple Chutney / Spicy applesauce??

"Necessity is the mother of invention" - This quote is one of my favorites. My house was flooded with fruits apples in particular last week after Gokulashtami / Krishna Jayanthi. When I went to give the goodies I had made to friends, I included couple of apples. They gave me back more apples. So, I ended up having so many apples than I needed or knew what to do with. I didn't want to bake any sweet dish using it since I already had so many sweets at home. You probably will think why didn't she refrigerate them? That is because my two refrigerators were full with all kinds of stuff from the festival and the vegetables for the company I was expecting for the weekend. Anyway, I used those apples and made chutney and everyone liked it. Well, I shouldn't say everyone because my father-in-law who is very picky and a conventional food lover didn't like it. But others did. Since everyone liked it, I ended up making it again. Please note that this chutney doesn't have any texture since cooked apples are mushy. If you like some texture, add some roasted peanuts or roasted gram dal and grind. In that case, you might have to add some liquid.

Ingredients:
Apples - 6 medium any variety cored and cut into chunks.
Green chillies - 7 or to taste (This was plenty spicy for us)
Oil - 2 TBSP divided use
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing - a pinch (optional)
Curry leaves - a few
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - a pinch
Tamarind - a marble sized or 1/4 tsp tamarind paste (I used the paste)

Method:
In a pan, heat 1 TBSP of oil. When hot, add green chillies (whole) and apple chunks. Add turmeric, some salt and let it wilt. When the apple pieces are soft, turn off the heat. If using the tamarind, soak in some warm water to soften. Do not try to extract juice. We don't need any water at all for this chutney. When the apples have cooled a bit, take them in a blender and blend with tamarind or tamarind paste. Remove to a dish and adjust the salt as needed. In a small pan, heat the remaining 1 TBSP of oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add hing and curry leaves. Pour this on to the ground chutney. Mix well and serve with dosa, idli or gundu pongal as in my case.

Notes:
You could roast some fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds or both and powder them and add to this chutney. You could use red chilli powder instead of using green chillies. If you love some herbs, use that. Grind with some mint or cilantro.

Enjoy!!