A thick, glossy, sweet-and-sour Indian mango chutney, slowly cooked with ginger, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and whole spices until it becomes a spoon-coating preserve-like sauce.
Ingredients
- 650 g green or barely ripe mangoes
- 180 g light cane sugar
- 120 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 piece yellow onion
- 2 cloves fresh garlic
- 30 g fresh ginger
- 50 g golden raisins
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
Method
- Peel the mangoes, remove the pits, then cut the flesh into even small dice. The chutney should retain real pieces, so do not grate or blend the mango.
- Peel the onion, garlic, and ginger. Finely slice the onion, then roughly chop the garlic and ginger into a paste so they melt into the cooking without dominating the texture.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat with the neutral oil. Add the mustard, cumin, and fennel seeds. Let them pop and flavor the oil until they gently crackle and smell toasted, without turning black.
- Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat until translucent and lightly golden at the edges. Stir often: it should soften and sweeten, not fry aggressively.
- Add the garlic and ginger. Cook briefly, just until their aroma rises clearly from the pan and the raw smell disappears.
- Add the mango, raisins, sugar, vinegar, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mango pieces are well coated.
- Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cook uncovered, stirring regularly with a spatula, especially along the bottom of the pan. The chutney is ready when the mango pieces are tender, the raisins are plump, and the syrup is thick, glossy, and spoon-coating.
- Crush only a few pieces of mango against the side of the pan to bind the sauce, keeping the rest in pieces. If the chutney catches too quickly, add a small splash of hot water; if it seems too thin, continue cooking gently until the spatula mark closes slowly.
- Taste off the heat. Add a pinch of salt if the flavor seems flat, or a splash of vinegar if the mixture seems too sweet. The right balance should be distinctly sweet-and-sour, fruity, spiced, and slightly hot.
- Let cool slightly before serving. For a more traditional, harmonious texture, refrigerate until the next day so the spices meld and the chutney becomes rounder.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 326.2 kcal
- Protein
- 2.54 g
- Carbohydrate
- 67.96 g
- Fat
- 4.79 g
- Fibre
- 5.14 g
- Calcium
- 24.92 mg
- Iron
- 1.53 mg
- Magnesium
- 15.36 mg
