Collision of savory and sweet

Put that mango chutney back in the cupboard. The new trend is crossover chutneys -- blends of Indian spices and Western ingredients that are as good with steak sandwiches and grilled chicken as with pappadums and pakoras.

At the forefront is Neela Paniz of Bombay Cafe in West Los Angeles, whose previous restaurant was called Chutneys because she was into chutney even then.

She noticed how updates of Mexican salsas had caught on in mainstream cuisine and decided that chutneys, with their similar combinations of fruits, vegetables, chiles and spices, could cross over too.

Paniz experiments with ingredient combinations never imagined in traditional Indian cuisine. Now she’s selling bottled chutneys at the cafe and over the Internet. “Most of them are created chutneys,” she says. “I make them inherently Indian by using Indian spices.”

Her cranberry and green apple chutney, terrific with turkey sausage, is seasoned with nigella seeds, known in India as kalonji, along with ginger, cinnamon, cloves and hot chiles. It’s worlds apart from the usual cranberry sauce.

Paniz also makes an appetizer chutney that blends peanuts, cilantro and garlic with serrano chiles. You could serve that one with tortilla chips. Fruity, sweet chutneys evolved in India to please the Western palate, and Paniz obliges with an apricot chutney and another that blends pear, cherry and ginger. “The English wanted food spicy and hot, but they also wanted something sweet with it,” she says.

Avinash Kapoor, chef-owner of the Akbar Cuisine of India restaurants, makes a sweet chutney with dried plums. At a Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars dinner, Kapoor paired his chutney with lamb pockets -- bite-sized fried pastries stuffed with spiced minced lamb -- accompanied by a Sauvignon Blanc. Spicy with fresh ginger, the chutney also accompanies Kapoor’s tandoori duck, seasoned with a marinade that incorporates the chutney. Use it to liven up grilled chicken dishes.

There’s no stopping Sanjay Kumar, chef at Tantra in Silver Lake, when it comes to creating chutneys. He makes at least seven for the restaurant, including a creamy golden saffron chutney, a garlic chutney and a fiery red chile mixture smoothed out with yogurt and mayonnaise.

Although it’s intended as a table condiment, Kumar’s basil and mint chutney is terrific tossed with pasta. The pesto-like chutney may sound Westernized, but it’s not. Basil is common in India, Kumar points out. Known as tulsi, it is revered in Hindu homes and temples.

In Northern California, a sandwich “with everything” at Amelia’s Deli/Bistro and Catering in Pleasanton, includes a thin, green layer of, you guessed it, chutney. “It’s the chutney my mother made when we were young,” says co-owner Annabelle Rodrigues. That makes it authentically Indian, because the family is from Goa, on India’s west coast.

One of the easiest chutneys to make, it requires no exotic ingredients, just cilantro, golden raisins, serrano chiles, onion and lemon juice.

It’s light and sweet, just what you’ll need when you want to turn an ordinary sandwich into something memorable.

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Green chutney

Total time: 10 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10 (makes 2 cups)

Note: From Amelia’s Deli/Bistro and Catering in Pleasanton, Calif.

2 bunches cilantro, both stems and leaves, ends only trimmed

3/4 cup golden raisins

2 serrano chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1. Place the cilantro, raisins, chiles and onion in a blender or food processor. Process to form a thick paste.

2. Stir in the lemon juice and salt. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Each of 10 servings: 46 calories; 1 gram protein; 1 gram fiber; 12 grams carbohydrates; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 244 mg. Sodium

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Cranberry and green apple chutney

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: 8 to 10 (makes 2 cups)

Note: From Neela Paniz of Bombay Cafe. Nigella seeds are available in Indian markets, where they are called kalonji.

2 cups water

1 heaping cup dried

cranberries

1 Granny Smith apple,

cored and minced in

a food processor

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon nigella seeds

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks

2 (1-inch) pieces cinnamon stick

2 dried arbol chiles

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 whole cloves

3 black peppercorns

1. Place the water and cranberries in a nonreactive saucepan and cook on medium high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cranberries soften.

2. Add the apple, sugar, vinegar, nigella seeds, ginger, cinnamon stick, chiles, bay leaf, cayenne, cloves and peppercorns and cook until the mixture is a thick, jam-like consistency, adding more water if necessary, about 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Cool to room temperature, remove the bay leaf and serve. Tightly covered, this may also be refrigerated for several days.

Each of 10 servings: 87 calories; 0 protein; 22 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 1 mg. sodium.

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Plum chutney

Total time: 20 minutes, plus 2 hours soaking time

Servings: 12 to 15 (makes 3 cups)

Note: From Avinash Kapoor of Akbar Cuisine of India.

1 pound (about 3 cups) pitted dried plums

1 (4-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and mashed ( 1/4 cup paste)

1 cup brown sugar

1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt to taste

1. Soak the plums in enough water to cover for 2 hours.

2. Blend the plums and soaking water into a paste in a blender or food processor. Set aside.

3. Heat a small saucepan on low heat, add the ginger paste and cook for 1 minute to dry out the paste. Add the pureed plums, brown sugar, cayenne, garam masala, lemon juice and salt. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve with lamb, duck or chicken appetizers.

Each of 15 servings: 130 calories; 2 grams protein; 2 grams fiber; 34 grams carbohydrates; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 7 mg. sodium.

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Basil-mint chutney

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10 (makes 1 1/4 cups)

Note: From Sanjay Kumar, chef of Tantra restaurant, who recommends this chutney with Indian snacks and grilled meats. Sambal oelek is a paste made of red chiles and is available in the Asian food sections of well-stocked markets.

3 bunches basil

2 bunches mint

1 bunch cilantro

4 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 to 3 serrano chiles, seeded and chopped

5 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek

3/4teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Wash and dry the basil, mint and cilantro; remove the stems and place the leaves in a food processor. Add the ginger, garlic, chiles, olive oil, sambal oelek, salt and pepper. Blend to a fine puree. Check for seasoning and adjust the amounts of garlic, chiles, salt and pepper as desired. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Each of 10 servings: 91 calories; 2 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 191 mg. sodium.