Feijoa Chutney

One of my Instagram followers shared this delicious chutney recipe to help me use up a glut of feijoas that were blown off my tree prematurely in a summer cyclone. It’s so good I’ll be making a batch every year from now on. Feijoas are quintessentially Kiwi, and thanks to this tasty condiment you can enjoy them all year round. And the best part? No peeling required!

Makes: 6 cups
Takes: 10 minutes to prep; 1½ hours to cook

Vegetarian | Vegan | Dairy-free | Gluten-free 

Ingredients: 
1kg feijoas, topped and tailed
500g onions, diced

300g golden raisins

500g chopped dates
500g brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon mild curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves

1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 teaspoons salt

4 cups cider (or malt) vinegar
freshly ground black pepper

Method: Halve your feijoas; the bigger your halves, the chunkier your chutney, so cut them in quarters if you prefer a ner texture. Add all of the ingredients except the pepper to a heavy-based saucepan and cook over a low heat for 1–11⁄2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thick. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Decant into sterilised jars (see below), making sure there are no air pockets. This chutney is best if you leave it to mature for 1–2 months, but i can never wait that long! Store in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Sterilising jars: To be extra certain your jar is only going to preserve the ingredients you’re putting into it, it’s best to sterilise before filling. Sterilising is pretty easy. Wash the jars and lids in hot, soapy water and then place in the oven at 150C for 15 minutes. Take care when handling hot jars. Wait for hot jars to cool before you fill them with ingredients at room temperature.