More chatni mon!

The emails were fast and hot for more chatni (the Indian word chutney.)  
Chef Monica put it in these words, "chutneys enable you to bring the fresh flavors of summer, the earthly flavors of fall, the deep flavors of winter and the sweetness of spring into your kitchen in simple ways."
Chutneys come in three basic types : raw, dried and cooked.
For raw chutneys, fruits and herbs (such as cilantro and mint) are heavily used. 
These are made fresh daily and used within three days. You can used these as accompaniments to selected dishes.
Dried chutneys are used as a spiced topping. The use of hot sauce, peanuts are used and goes well with vegetables, potatoes and rice.
Cooked chutneys are prepared fresh in the Indian culture. 
Growing up in Trinidad, cooked chutneys were not a main stay on the lunch table at home. They were made as a festive snack accompaniment. I especially remember watching my sister and mother soaking fruits: pommecythere, mangoes, lemons and tamarind. Then, they will cook the fruits by adding sugar and vinegar to give them a longer shelf life.
You can create a variety of flavors by substituting fruits and spices in various degrees.
Here is an old standby,  you will not find in a cookbook.

Tamarind Chutney.

4 cups tamarind, shelled
1 cup mango, green, grated
1 tbsp. ginger, grated
1/2 cup raisin
2 onions, grated
1 garlic clove minced
1tbsp. baking soda, sifted
2 cups malt vinegar
1 hot red pepper
3 cups sugar
3 tbsp. salt
1 cup boiling water

Divide shelled tarmarind into segments, remove seeds and set aside
in a medium bowl
In a medium sauce pan, put baking soda, onions, salt, hot pepper, and pour boiling water over, stir to blend and continue stirring until form subsides
Add vinegar and bring to a boil
Reduce heat to medium and add sugar, mango, salt, ginger, raisins, garlic and dry preserve
Cook till thicken as a jam, remove from fire
Add to the tamarind pulp and blend, bottle and refrigerate.