[Growster...]

I think I've asked this before, but has anyone ever found a substitute for Pan Yan?

We've tried all sorts of variations using curry powder etc., but never get anywhere near the real thing! All our home-made chutneys have now gone - either to friends or us here, and Mrs Growster has re-started the perennial moan that there should be a sort of replica of the old nectar!

There must be some alternative around somewhere - but where...:0~

[Kleftiwallah]

Here are a couple of 'alternatives,
Pan Yan pickle recipe UK
ingredients

    1 lb bramley apple, peeled, cored and minced.
    1 lb dates, minced.
    1 lb sultana, minced.
    3⁄4 pint malt vinegar.
    1 lb soft brown sugar.
    2 -3 teaspoons Madras curry powder.
    salt and pepper.





The original source of this receipt isn't known. Can you help? editor@foodsofengland.co.uk

1 lb bramley apple, peeled, cored and minced
1 lb dates, minced
1 lb sultana, minced
3/4 pint malt vinegar
1 lb soft brown sugar
2 -3 teaspoons Madras curry powder
salt and pepper

Directions:

1 Stir all the ingredients together and leave for 24 hours.
2 Put in clean and sterilised jars.
3 Tastes better after 2 weeks storage in a cool dry place and makes about 7 x 1/2 lb jars.
Add more curry powder to taste – it’s the curry powder that makes this pickle The Real Pan Yan Pickle!   

Cheers,  Tony.   P.S. If you find a recipe for Branston Pickle, let me know...

[mumofstig]

Alas no quantities given but found and old recipe for Pan Yan..
Yan-Pan Pickle
You will need:-
Swede
White sugar
Apples
Carrots
White wine vinegar
Cornflour
Pickled gherkins
Green sweet peppers
Onions
Curry powder
Ground turmeric.

Peel the swede, chop it into tiny dice and put them in a large pan. Peel and dice some carrots, green peppers and onions. Slice and dice some cooking apples. Put all the vegetables in a pan. Add enough white vinegar to barely cover the vegetables, add about half a pint of water, then add about a pound of sugar. Chop a whole jar of pickled gherkins into tiny slices add them to your pan with a spoonful of ground turmeric and a large spoonful of curry powder. Bring to the boil and then reduce to simmer. Cook until all the vegetables are soft then remove from the heat and leave until cold. Next day bring to the boil again and add a large spoonful of cornflour mixed in water. Taste the mixture carefully, adding more vinegar or sugar according to your taste. Bottle in hot clean jars and keep for at least one month before use.

[mumofstig]

   P.S. If you find a recipe for Branston Pickle, let me know...

I have this one bookmarked, but haven't tried it yet...
https://www.food.com/recipe/the-almost-original-branston-pickle-recipe-246675

[wighty]

On the Branston  front - many, many years ago I followed a recipe I found that matched the ingredients on their jar (minus of course some of the 'chemical' type stuff listed).  It tasted okay but was too soft.  It must be a trade secret to keep Branston veg 'solid'. 

[Growster...]

Thanks All - I think we tried the Pan Yan recipe from the Food website some years ago, but the end result was nothing like the real thing - perhaps our taste-buds have changed now!

I wonder if any smaller producers have picked up on the demand at all? For Instance, we bought some quite expensive chutney from Dukes Hill, and it was OK, but only as good as our own recipe!

Maybe the answer is to try even more curry powder in a bog standard Tesco jar!

Slightly off-topic, but adding lots of chillis to any chutney makes one heck of a difference, and I experimented with blending it all to resemble the texture of HP sauce!

I think all my chums are still around...;0~

[Growster...]

I think I've almost cracked it!

One jar Tesco Sandwich Pickle
Two finely chopped dates
One finely chopped desert apple
Three finely chopped small carrots
Level teaspoon Nigella seeds
Two teaspoons Tandoori Curry Paste

Par-boil the carrot and apple, then just mix together and bottle! The crunch of the apple and carrot is needed as the Tesco pickle was a sandwich type - no larger chunks!

It was a bit hot at first, but after a few days, has melded pretty well and as far as I can remember, it's near enough the real thing!

Well, I think so anyway...

[Growster...]

That first jar 'matured' well and has nearly finished, so a new batch is being made tomorrow!

I'm thinking of adding some celeriac, and maybe even a bit of raw celery, (the latter should be OK if the preserve looks after it in the jar)!

Without boasting too much, it's as close to the original as I can remember, but let's see what the new lot tastes like, just in case I muck it all up...