Mango Chutney

Mango Chutney is a classic chutney, with the sweet and tangy (fruity) flavour complementing the warm taste of Indian spices in Indian cooking. A Mango Chutney is normally a very mild sweet chutney, but if you wish to give it a little more heat, directions in the recipe are given.

Mango Chutney Recipe

Makes about 1.25 Kg of chutney to pot.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 Kg mangoes (halved peeled and stoned)
• 2 tsp sea-salt
• 225g cooking apples (peeled)
• 300ml distilled (clear) vinegar
• 200g natural brown (demerara) sugar
• 1 onion (chopped fine)
• 1 garlic clove (crushed and chopped fine)
• 2 tsp ground ginger

Optional (for heat)

• (optional) de-seed and finely slice two green chillies

Recipe Method:

Put the malt vinegar and sugar into a preserving pan and heat very gently, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved completely. Remove from the heat.

Peel, halve, stone and slice the mango flesh into rough chunks and place in a large, non-metallic bowl. Sprinkle with the sea-salt and set aside for twenty minutes.

Peel the apples, then cut into quarters, discard the cores and chop the flesh roughly. Add the apples to the preserving pan.

Add the mangoes, onion, garlic and ginger to the pan and slowly bring the mixture to the boil, stirring occasionally. Optional (for heat) stir into the chutney the de-seeded and finely sliced chillies, with the garlic and ginger.

Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 1 hour, stirring frequently towards the end of the cooking time, until the chutney is reduced to a thick consistency and no excess liquid remains. Simmer for a shorter or longer time if needed, to get the right chutney thickness and texture.

Transfer the chutney to warm, sterilized jars. To pot the chutney: it is best to use a wide-necked jam funnel to transfer the chutney into the sterilized jars. Use a long-handled teaspoon (or similar) to press and poke the chutney right down into the pots to exclude any trapped air pockets. Press wax discs on the surface of the chutney before sealing the jar. Wipe the jars immediately, then label them when they are cold.

To Store: store in a cool, dark place and leave to mature for at least 1 month. The chutney will keep unopened for up to 1 year. Once the jars have been opened, store them in the refrigerator.