Mango Chutney

The Mango is the sweetheart of all tropical fruits. It’s the most sought after, universally preferred fruit that is good when it is raw or ripe - or even in-between! I am perhaps the rare exception - I am not a fan of mangoes. I like them when they are raw (who doesn’t), but I don’t like their pungent ripe flavor. So, the sub-par mangoes we get here are ideal to experiment in cooking because they have no strong sweet or tart flavors like the rich Indian ones. These mangoes exude just a little bit of mango-flavor and take on the flavors that are added.

For a recent cook-out that consisted of an international mix of people, I thought I would bring something totally tropical, widely familiar and ever exotic - the mango chutney. Having never prepared mango chutney before, I drew inspiration from the mango pachadi and came up with this. I’m happy to have come up with this recipe - for it’s a keeper. It blends the line between sweet and savory and can be had as a side-dish with anything. Anand prefers to eat it as is.

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

1. 2 Mangoes - halfway ripe (a little sour, a little sweet)
2. 3 green chillies (for a milder spice)
3. 1.5 teaspoons minced ginger
4. 1.5 cups water
5. 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
6. 2 teaspoons cumin powder / jeera powder
7. 2 teaspoons coriander powder
8. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
9. pinch of hing / asafoetida
10. pinch of saffron
11. 1 teaspoon salt
12. 2 tablespoons brown sugar or jaggery (increase or decrease this amount based on how sweet the mangoes are. My mangoes were hardly sweet, nor were they tart enough)
13. ¼ cup cilantro / coriander leaves
14. 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
15. some lemon juice (depends on how tart the mangoes are)

Preparation:

1. Peel the mangoes and cut into small pieces
2. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat some vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, splutter the mustard seeds. Add the minced ginger and green chillies along with a pinch of hing. Saute for a few seconds.
3. Add the mangoes and saute them on medium heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add enough water to cover the mangoes (about 1.5 cups). Add the spices to this - salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, brown sugar/jaggery, and a pinch of saffron. Close the lid, reduce the heat a little bit and let the mangoes cook completely. Periodically, check on them and give a stir so that they don’t stick to the pan.
5. Remove from heat when the mangoes are completely cooked and soft and there’s hardly any water. Let it cool.
6. When cooled, add roughly chopped coriander leaves and pulse the chutney in a mixer a couple of times. The consistency of the chutney is up to you. You can puree it to form a smooth paste like chutney, or give it a little bit of texture and bite. Or, you don’t have to pulse or puree. Just serve as is.
7. Taste the chutney - it should be sweet, spicy, and slightly tangy. If there’s no tang (because the mangoes are too sweet or just not tart enough), squeeze the juice of half a lemon and mix well.

The chutney goes well as a savory dip, jam, and spread. It can even be had as a side-dish with rice.