If you were to ask Kansans to name their favorite condiments, the list would probably include the usual suspects: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, maybe salsa.

It’s unlikely chutney would appear anywhere on the list.

But if Lawrence resident Debjani Bhaduri has her way, chutney — a spicy, Indian condiment made of fruit, vinegar, sugar and spices — will be as common on the tables of meat-and-potatoes Kansans as any of the others.

Bhaduri, a native of India’s Bengali region, recently launched a line of all-natural, bottled chutneys made according to recipes handed down for generations in her family.

Coming in three varieties — spiced cranberry, tomato-raisin-date and pineapple-raisin — they are the latest product from her one-person, Lawrence-based company, Tripti, House of Homemade Bengali Delicacies. (Tripti is a Sanskrit word meaning “satisfaction.”)

Bhaduri started her business in August 2003, providing a variety of Bengali, vegetarian specialties for the prepared foods case, deli case and salad bar of the Community Mercantile Co-op, 901 Iowa.

After months of work and research, with the help of Kansas State University’s department of food science, Bhaduri started producing her line of chutney in November.

Bhaduri prepares and bottles the chutney in a state-certified kitchen at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

Her effort to cultivate a taste for chutney among Kansans is well under way. There’s already a growing list of businesses in Lawrence and northeast Kansas that use or offer her products.

Chicken breast stuffed with spinach and feta cheese topped with a pineapple-raisin chutney from Lawrence resident Debjani Bhaduri's Tripti, House of Homemade Bengali Delicacies

It’s a process of familiarizing people with the Indian condiment, which is still new to many customers.

“I need to educate them about chutney. When people sample it in stores, 80 to 90 percent of them buy at least one bottle,” said Bhaduri, who earned a master’s degree in education from Kansas University in May 2004.

Popular around town

Some Lawrence residents won’t need any prodding to develop a fondness for chutney.

“I love chutney,” said Gunda Hiebert, former co-owner of The Bay Leaf, 725 Mass., a gourmet housewares store. “I use it on everything — hamburgers, steaks, chicken, pork chops. One way I absolutely love it is on a melted cheese sandwich.

“It’s versatile. You can use it for a beef stew. Just put a little on the side and add some with every bite. It’s just wonderful with chicken.”

The Bay Leaf currently sells two types of chutney made by Stonewall Kitchen: mango and Old Farmhouse, which contains apples.

Lawrence resident Debjani Bhaduri, left, is the owner of Tripti, House of Homemade Bengali Delicacies. Her all-natural, homemade chutney comes in three varieties: spiced cranberry, tomato-raisin-date and pineapple-raisin. Tripti Chutney is available at Wheatfields Bakery, 904 Vt.; Brits, 929 Mass.; Community Mercantile Co-op, 901 Iowa; Pendleton's Country Market, 1446 E. 1850 Road; Sally's Choices, Leavenworth; All the King's Herbs, Gardner; and Gourmet Grocer, Prairie Village. To learn more about Tripti Chutney, e-mail Bhaduri at debjanibhaduri@hotmail.com. Debjani is pictured with her husband, Saibal Bhattacharya, and daughter, Sukanya, 2.

Chutney is a favorite among customers who shop at Brits, 929 Mass., a store that sells products that are British or British in nature.

Chutney is widely consumed in Great Britain, which has a large Indian population.

“They (chutney brands) sell great. We just have to have it because it is popular,” said owner Sally Helm.

The store offers Patak’s Hot Mango Chutney and Patak’s Original Major Grey Chutney (mango and ginger).

The other brand sold at Brits is Mrs. Ball’s, which comes from South Africa. The store offers Original Recipe Chutney (peach) and Hot Chutney.

“We just got these in again, and our South African customers are crazy about them,” Helm said.

Most of her American customers prefer Patak’s, the British chutney. So does Helm.

“I put it on my mashed potatoes,” she said.

Brits will begin to carry Bhaduri’s Tripti chutney this week, she added.

Perfect with pork, turkey

Chutney seems to be striking a chord among customers at Wheatfields Bakery, 904 Vt., where a ham sandwich with homemade apple chutney was recently added to the menu.

“We haven’t had it very long, but we’ve gotten a lot of good reviews on it,” said Noelle Johnson, kitchen manager.

Wheatfields also sells Bhaduri’s chutney.

“They’re wonderful. They’ve been selling very well. Any time we put out samples of them, people definitely grab a jar and buy some,” said Katie Kutilek, general manager.

Like Hiebert, she praised chutney’s versatility at the table.

“Mainly I use it as a side condiment with dinner — kind of like cranberry relish, just a dab on your plate. It’s really good with pork products. It would really work well with a turkey sandwich,” Kutilek said.

“You could put chutney on a piece of baguette. It would be nice to use with an appetizer tray.”

That’s the attitude Bhaduri said she hopes to encourage among more Kansans: To think of chutney as a condiment for just about any food — even ice cream.

(Trust her. Bhaduri’s spiced cranberry chutney spooned over chocolate ice cream is heaven.)

“Here is what I’m trying to emphasize. You can use it however you want,” she said.

“Just try it — you be the judge.”

Mango chutney

3 barely ripe mangoes

2 tablespoons corn oil

1 3/4-inch piece ginger root, peeled and chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek

1 1/4 cup malt vinegar

1/2 cup seedless raisins

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

Slice mangoes in half by cutting lengthwise close to seeds on either side.

Peel and cut flesh in 1/8-inch-thick slices. Also cut away as much mango flesh as possible from around pits, without including fibrous parts of pits. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add mangoes, ginger, garlic, salt, chili powder, cumin and fenugreek. Cook gently 2 minutes, stirring.

Stir in vinegar, raisins, lemon juice and sugar. Heat slowly to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, 35-40 minutes or until liquid thickens and becomes syrupy and mangoes look translucent, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, wash and rinse pint jars in hot, soapy water; rinse. Keep hot until needed.

Prepare lids as manufacturer directs. Ladle hot chutney into 1 hot jar at a time, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Release trapped air. Wipe rim of jar with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid and place in canner. Fill and close remaining jars. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath.

To serve, garnish with parsley sprig and lemon peel, if desired.

Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

Source: “The Book of Hot & Spicy Foods,” by Louise Steele and Paul Grater, HP Books.

Green tomato chutney

2 1/2 pounds green tomatoes (about 6 cups cubed)

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups white or cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped

Trim the stem from tomatoes and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 6 cups). You may replace 1/2 pound of the tomatoes with apples, if desired. Put all ingredients in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until thick, about an hour or so, then pour into sterilized jars and seal. Process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes and store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 3 pints.

Note: Be sure to use hard, round, green tomatoes with no sign of red or white.

Source: “The New Southern Cook,” John Martin Taylor, Bantam Books.

Orchard apple chutney

2 cups rice vinegar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 large red bell pepper, diced

2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons yellow onion, diced

3 tart, firm apples, peeled, cored and diced

Juice of 1 lemon

Sterilize 2 half-pint canning jars and keep them hot.

Bring vinegar and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar completely. Add bell pepper, jalapenos and onion and continue to boil for 8 minutes. Add apples, reduce heat and simmer until apples are tender, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Spoon or ladle chutney into jars. Cap jars according to manufacturer’s directions. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath. Let cool, and test for a seal.

Store in a cool, dry, dark place; chutney will last indefinitely. Good with smoked turkey, pheasant, sausage patties and biscuits.

Variation: If you do not want to process and can the chutney, spoon or ladle it into sterilized, lidded jars. Let cool slightly and refrigerate. This version will keep for 2 weeks in refrigerator.

Yield: About 2 cups chutney.

Source: “Prairie Home Cooking,” by Judith M. Fertig, Harvard Common Press.