I like cranberry sauce (canned or homemade) on the side with anything. Of course it goes great with turkey, etc., but also with sausage (Polish sausage), meat loaf, fried chicken, and other flavorful things where you want an intermittent bite of something sweet. Applesauce can also function this way. I did a google search for suggestions on alternatives to cranberry sauce and got Lingonberry jam and Cherry compote, and I ordered from amazon, but each of those, while I think they’d be great on toast, is just too sweet to be a real relish/condiment.
I’ve been wondering about chutney for this role in my mealtime setup.
There are so many different kinds! Where should I begin? I don’t want to wind up with a bunch of jars that I took one bite out of and couldn’t stomach the rest.
I want something mostly sweet, but not “dessert” sweet. I know there are spices added, and I’m okay with some of that-- but NO cilantro!
Stonewall Kitchen has some chutneys that might be entry level for a chutney virgin such as myself:
A search for “chutney” on amazon gives almost 400 results:
Not cranberry but every chutney I’ve gotten from Trader Joe’s has been good and I’d go so far as to say adventurous. You can’t beat the price and if you hate it, Trader Joe’s will cheerfully refund your cost, no questions asked. Pretty low risk.
Sri Lankan Organic Mango Chutney
$3.29/8.5 Oz
They also do a very tasty refrigerator crushed cranberry/ orange relish that I make a point of getting every year. In fact I get two pints and I live alone!
Trader Joe’s is very good about letting you return stuff that you don’t like. But if I go to TJ’s, I’ll have to buy a couple of bags of these, then I’m doomed…
I love all chutneys, but just popped in to say “Any time you change a traditional Thanksgiving dish, also provide the traditional option”.
My wife proudly displayed her Cranberry/Horseradish Relish for Thanksgiving. I saw a bunch of skeptical faces on the younger generations, so I quickly showed them the traditional cranberry sauce we’d made, and the “stuff from a can” (with the ridges still showing).
You need to try out some sampler packs of teeny tiny little chutney jars like this one, although I don’t know for the life of me how that vendor can sell this so cheap; note that I am not recommending this or any other specific product, just the general idea of trying a chutney sampler before committing yourself to a big-azz jar of any one flavor.
What a great idea! Yes, little sampler jars are exactly what I need.
I went to Trader Joe’s and I did buy a jar of the mango chutney, just tasted it, and I really like it. Very mild. Not too sweet. I will have to see how it works with a meal.
And yes, I also bought a bag of the rolled corn chips with chili lime seasoning. They are so good! It helps if you love pain. You just have to keep eating them, because if you stop, then the pain catches up with you.
[Beaver brand Cranberry Mustard]
That’s what I put on my roast beef sandwiches, along with some horseradish (same brand). The cranberry mustard is also great on turkey sandwiches.
Interestingly enough, coriander chutney is an entire traditional category of fresh (non-preserved) chutneys. Generally, if you see a bright green sauce chutney, that’s based on cilantro.
There’s even an example in your screencap, in the top right of the image.
The standard sauce or chutney to have with samosas is tamarind. Both of these are terrific food ideas. The tamarind provides a nice tartness that balances the sweetness.
If not, let me give you the Good News! Amba a pickled mango sauce of Indian/Iraqi Jewish origin. It’s savory and tangy and less sweet than chutney, and goes well with meat (like shawarma) and plenty of other dishes. And it is your Lord and Savior.
They are so good! It helps if you love pain. You just have to keep eating them, because if you stop, then the pain catches up with you.