Mango Chutney

July 23, 2010

Mango Chutney - kvalifood.com

A British-Indian style mango chutney – cooked low and slow with sugar, vinegar, and whole spices until thick and syrupy. This is the kind served with poppadoms, cheese sandwiches, and cold meats. It improves with age and keeps for months in sealed jars.

Makes ca. 750 ml (3 jars)

Ingredients

1 kg raw (or semi-ripe) mangoes (firm, sour), peeled and cut into 1-2 cm chunks
1 tbsp vegetable oil
300 g granulated sugar
300 ml white wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
6 green cardamom pods
2 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick (5 cm)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
1 thumb-sized piece ginger (ca. 20 g), finely grated
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 red chili, finely chopped (seeds removed for milder)
1.5 tsp salt

Directions

Toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and cardamom pods in a dry pan over medium heat 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar and crush coarsely. Split the cardamom pods and discard the husks.
Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the crushed toasted spices, nigella seeds, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Fry 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the ginger, garlic, and chopped chili. Stir 30 seconds.
Add the mango chunks, sugar, vinegar, turmeric, cayenne, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low-medium. Simmer uncovered for 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring every 10-15 minutes. The chutney is done when thick and syrupy – a spoon dragged across the bottom should leave a trail that fills in slowly.
Remove from heat. Let rest 10 minutes (it thickens further as it cools).
Transfer to sterilized jars while still hot. Seal immediately.

Notes

Use firm, green or pale yellow cooking mangoes. Indian grocery stores sell these – not the sweet eating kind.
For chunkier chutney, cut the mango larger and stir less. For smoother, cut small and mash with a fork toward the end.
300 g sugar per kg mango is the classic balance. Go up to 400 g for sweeter, down to 200 g for tangier (but shorter shelf life).
Sealed in sterilized jars, stores 1-2 years in a cool dark place. Refrigerate after opening.
Flavor develops over the first few weeks.