Hibiscus Chutney Recipe

If you’ve mastered all the classicchutney recipes, why not try this delicious and unusual hibiscus chutney? Made with the tropical hibiscus flower and juicy blackberries, this fruity chutney makes the perfectedible giftsfor friends or family. Next time you’ve got a lazy Sunday to potter about in the kitchen, have a go at making our hibiscus chutney. You’ll be so pleased with the results.

Hibiscus is an exotic flower found in many tropical countries around the world. Its distinctive trumpet-shaped flowers, with their large, broad petals are traditionally worn behind the ear by young women in Hawaii, while the hibiscus is also the national flower of Haiti.

Hibiscus flowers are edible and prepared in different ways in different countries. In Mexico, dried hisbiscus is often sweetened and sprinkled on desserts, while agua frescas are popular non-alcoholic drinks made with hibiscus juice. Hibiscus tea is drunk in many countries, including Mexico, Jamaica and Ghana.

In the UK, you can buy hibiscus flowers in either dried form or preserved in jars of syrup. The latter is available online or from some large supermarkets, and it’s these flowers we are using in our hibiscus chutney recipe.

The delicate, floral-tasting hibiscus flowers pair well with blackberries, so early autumn is the best time to make this recipe when there are still blackberries in the hedgerows or in season and on offer in the shops. Jalapenos and ginger add a little tropical heat and fire, without overpowering the floral notes in this beautiful chutney. Cook up a batch and the kitchen will smell wonderful!

Ready to try making hibiscus chutney? Just follow our straightforward recipe below.

How to Make Hibiscus Chutney

1. Toss everything except the vinegar into a big pot

2. Cook and occasionally stir the mixture over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.Add salt and pepper if you wish.

3. Stir in the vinegar and let mixture simmer and thicken for about 10 minutes more.

4. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this chutney will last for up to 6 weeks.

Recipe taken from Cooking with Flowers by Miche Bacher (£16.99, Quirk)

Ingredients

• 2 pints fresh blackberries or 1lb frozen blackberries
• 8 hibiscus flowers
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 2tbsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar