Mango Chutney
Imported from different parts of the world mango is available all year round in Europe. The mangoes I buy in January usually come from Brazil and multiply the number of the jars preserved in Winter. I have never been a big fan of mango in sweet dishes or preserves, but together with the Hot Mango Sauce, chutney is one of my favourite transformations of this aromatic fruit. Apart from every chicken dish I can think of, this sweet and hot chutney is the best company I could imagine for the fried fat liver.
“Chutney” comes from the Hindi word “chatni” meaning pounding in to a pulp or finger-licking good. Indian chatni is a hot sauce, eaten freshly made. The British adopted the chatni during the colonial times, transforming it with time into their own, preserving versions, containing almost always raisins, cloves, sugar and vinegar. Usually made with fruit, chutney is nowadays one of the British staples and has gone quite far from its Indian origins.
This recipe is a compilation of several British-style chutney recipes I have found on internet. The amount of chilies (fresh or dried) depend on personal preference and resistance. Adjust it bearing in mind the warm chutney tastes hotter than the cold one. On the other hand, it will get hotter with time. The amount I give here makes – in my opinion – a medium hot chutney, but it becomes quite hot after 6 months spent in jars. Do not exaggerate however with the clove. It easily overwhelms the whole taste. If the mango is very ripe, it doesn’t require very long cooking and keeps the lovely yellow colour. However, even the underripe fruit makes a good chutney, unfortunately after long cooking hours it becomes brownish.
Preparation: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
3 yellow flesh mangoes
300g brown or white sugar
250 ml cider vinegar (4,5%)
6 heaped tablespoons raisins
5 cm chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (approx. 3 garlic cloves)
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons crushed dried chili or 3 fresh bird’s-eye chilies (with seeds if you want it really hot)
Peel the mango and cut it into small pieces. Put everything together in a pan and cook on medium heat for at least 30 minutes (or more, until the mango is soft enough to be crushed with a spoon).
Taste it and adjust the taste adding the vinegar, the sugar or the chili if needed.
/At this point you can (after the chutney has cooled down) either freeze it, or keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks, or process it in the jars, as described below, and store it in your pantry for at least a year./
Spoon the chutney, still hot, into sterilised jars. Cover with lids. Leave the jars to cool.
Place the cool jars into a big pan, bottom lined with an old kitchen towel folded in two (this will prevent the jars from breaking), cover up with hot – but not boiling- water to the level just below the lid. Bring to boil and keep on a very low heat, in simmering water, for around 20 minutes.
Stick on self-adhesive labels, write the name of the chutney and don’t forget to mark the date.
In a dry place, with a moderate temperature, the jars should keep for at least a year.
This chutney is perfect with fried fat liver and roast or fried chicken.
