I was walking by the produce section the other day and saw them. Beautiful, fleshy globes just staring at me. I know, I thought the same thing, I want to grab them and take them home with me so I could make some Mango Chutney. If you saw them, you would have thought the same thing! So I did. An easy to make recipe really. Not nearly as time consuming as I remembered it to be.
But these were Ataulfo mangoes, arguably the sweetest, and can be enjoyed as they are or in a drink such as the Indian lassi or smoothies, chutney’s, salads etc. They contain a fairly thin seed so most of what you see is mango flesh. They can easily be spotted by their beautiful yellow/caramel skin. Try to pick them when the skin is unblemished and firm, not hard. They should have some give when you gently squeeze it. The seeds can be used to make a delicious curry – but I’ll save that for another blog. Just freeze the seeds with whatever flesh is on them for that curry – that’s if you can resist chewing on them to extract all that delicious sweet pulp left behind from the cleaning process.
6 Ataulfo Mangoes, firm flesh, smooth skin
2″ piece of ginger, finely diced
8 – 10 Thai Chilies, finely diced (cut back if you like it sweeter)
1 tbsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 roasted red and/or green peppers, chopped
1/2 cup dried currants
6 – 8 cloves of garlic, grated with a zester
1 cup sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
Wash and dry the mangoes – it’s because the skins will most likely be touching a surface that your pulp will be on and could contaminate your entire batch of chutney. Cut off the stem end of the mango, this allows the mango to stand firm on it’s end so you can slice the sides off as close to the seed as possible. Remove the flesh from the mangoes any way you know how. I find the easiest is to score the cut halves and then turn it inside out. Then, using a small sharp paring knife, cut off the pieces of flesh. Use a spoon to scrape the inside of the skin to get all the juices and remaining flesh out. Save all this for the chutney
In a heavy bottomed pot, over medium heat, add the vinegar and sugar – bring this to a boil, ensure all the sugar is dissolved – if this liquid appears too thick, thin it with just 1/4 cup of water
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, bring back up to a boil, reduce to a simmer until thickened – about 1 to 1.5 hours depending on the heat and sugar content of your mixture. Taste it, add more seasoning if required (seasoning could take the form of additional, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, chilies, ginger etc.) then taste again. That’s it, no really, that’s the entire recipe.
Oh yes there is bottling of the chutney. Please follow all safety rules for this. I draw on the domestic goddess of all things food related – Nigella. Jars and lids (with a rubber/silicone seal where the mouth of the jar touches the lid) can be put in the dishwasher and using tongs and a clean work surface are ready to be filled, sealed and stored in a cool, dry place. I’ve used that method as well as this one where you wash the jars and lids with soap and water, rinse them, then put them on a rack in warm oven – 300F for about 1 hour. Remove, let cool and fill with the chutney. I’ve had home made tomato sauce in them for almost a year (it never lasts long enough). Of course, once opened, enjoy it!
