I had grand plans when I was gifted a box of Mountain Hazelnuts, a company I first learned about while attending a work conference last year. I was so taken by their work that I went on to write about them and feature their story in a magazine I edited.

These were hazelnuts grown with much care on the Bhutanese highlands, a place I hope to visit one day, bank balance permitting, given the country’s daily Sustainable Development Fee!

I initially imagined turning them into a three-course meal, something deliberate and well-thought-out, designed to let the hazelnuts shine. But between full-time work, life and reality, my ambition gave way to something simpler.

Hazelnut chutney felt instinctive, an ode to my South Indian roots. I remember coming home from school to find something utterly irresistible on the stove: a fiery peanut chutney my grandmother had made, which I promptly devoured with crackers. It was so spicy my ears burned long after I had finished eating. I guess this chutney is an attempt to honour that memory and her style of cooking.

Last year, I also came across Samin Nosrat’s idea of the “unrecipe”, a concept that delighted me. My own cooking lexicon has been shaped this way, pieced together from observation and memory, guided by technique, a cheeky sense of fun and intuition rather than exact(ing) proportions.

Chutney really is the ultimate unrecipe that comes together with a few staples, guided by instinct rather than measurement, and shaped by taste. This hazelnut version follows a simple logic and is made to one’s own liking.

These Bhutanese hazelnuts were intensely fragrant. At first bite, they released a sweet perfume that filled my mouth and had a clean, delightful snap, bringing to my mind the very first time I had a Ferrero Rocher. If you roast them yourself (see below), you’ll definitely need a good measure of restraint to stop them disappearing straight from the plate before even making the dish!

In the spirit of unrecipe, I’ve left out proportions, inviting you to draw on your own food memory, instinct and personal taste.

Hazelnut Chutney

Ingredients

• Hazelnuts
• Fresh ginger
• Green chilli
• Grated coconut
• Water
• Salt

For tempering

• Mustard seeds
• Dried red chilli
• Curry leaves
• Oil

Method

1. Roast the hazelnuts until their skins begin to loosen. Rub with a paper towel to remove the skins if desired. This yields a lighter-coloured chutney. Set aside to cool.
2. Blend the hazelnuts with coconut, green chilli, ginger, salt and a little water until smooth.
3. Transfer to a pan and cook gently for a few minutes to bring the flavours together.
4. For the tempering, heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and allow them to crackle, followed by dried chilli and curry leaves. Pour over the chutney and stir through.
5. Let it cool. Once cooled, place it in the fridge until ready to serve.

I actually love my chutney slightly fridge-cold. I had the chutney with thosai, but you’re free to accompany them with your meals as you see or taste fit.

In closing, this hazelnut chutney left me wondering why I hadn’t thought to bring hazelnuts into savoury cooking earlier. It was delightful. Hazelnuts can and absolutely should chutney.

Should this become a series? The question feels inevitable: what to chutney next? Let me know!