Chutney Ingredients Advice

[Farmer_Gyles]

i've got several chutney and similar recipes that i'm gonna have a go at, but need a bit of advice on ingredients

some say root ginger, others say ground ginger - i don't want to buy both if i don't really need to - so could i use ground ginger instead of root ginger? if so, how much? ie, a teaspoon of ground ginger instead of an ounce of root ginger??

cumin / turmeric / cayenne pepper (and other spices etc) - only need a tiny bit of each, but need to buy several small pots / tubs - or could i used a mixed spice / allspice??

mustard - some recipes say mustard seeds, others say mustard powder, others say dijon mustard - could i just use mustard powder instead of seeds and dijon mustard??

these are all things i never have in the house as i never use them - i don't want to buy loads of things and only use a little bit of each - i don't have much cupboard space in my kitchen

i'm just after general advice from more experienced chutney makers - i'm guessing it doesn't matter too much, just experiment and see what happens??

[Flummery]

I find chutney recioes are infinitely variable. Do you know someone who has a decent stock of spices? I'm not suggesting you cadge some (although that might be a plan!) but that you sniff them and see what YOU like. I wold always use cumin (ground) because I love it. I don't often put ginger in a chutney but that's preference. Turmeric turns everything yellow. It does have a flavour but it's not that strong or pronounced in my opinion. Cayenne is useful. Allspice and mixed spice wouldn't really substitute. If you just want to buy a couple get Cayenne and cumin.

The cheaper alternative is a spoonful or two of curry powder, or Garam Masala. I really love the spices in Garam Masala.

[Alison]

I always put root ginger in an apple chutney recipe which I make every autumn. Love the fact that I can leave it in little chunks as I like a good texture to my relishes etc. As Flum says, most of it is personal preference. Pick a recipe, follow it and then amend as necessary next year.

[rustylady]

Ground ginger is fine, and I use garam masala too. Do you have a local Indian shop, they sell spices really cheaply and they are usually fresher than the ones you get from the supermarket.

[annacruachan]

The beauty of chutneys is that you don't have to stick too closely to the recipe as long as the vinegar/sugar/fruit and veg ratio is correct. Use powdered spices if you have them and maybe experiment with one or two new ones. As Flum says, go and sniff your neighbour's spices!!

[Farmer_Gyles]

cheers guys
i've sussed the infinitely invariable thing - never made chutneys before, so want to get a couple of basics going first and see what happens - all i know about spices is that using the wrong thing or too much of something can ruin everything!