AROMATIC MANGO CHUTNEY RECIPE

Making Mango Chutney wasn't part of my plan this weekend, however a chance conversation with a lovely lady at the Sri Lankan grocer I visited got me excited. 

I watched as she carefully selected some Green unripened Mangoes and I asked what she was going to make with them. She advised a Mango curry and said it can be used for Mango chutney as well. I told her about my experience of tasting some Sinhalese dishes (thanks to Ashanti) and she was more than happy to tell me more about some of the ingredients in the shop. 

Yes' I randomly speak to strangers.

 

I quickly purchased a few green Mangoes and got excited about making my own Mango chutney.

 

On my drive back from the grocers, I couldn't help but wonder why Ghana didn't have its own Mango chutney, considering we have the best Mango season and the excess are left rotten or thrown away. Hmm!

Anyway, after researching about Mango chutney I came to the conclusion there are varieties and it's open to interpretation.

The green Mangoes surprisingly were fragrant when I was peeling them, hence I decided to add Lemon grass to accentuate the aroma. Use the bottom part of the Lemongrass for this recipe and keep the stalk for tea. (The bottom part or bulging part of the Lemongrass is the most fragrant part).

 

I've used my store cupboard ingredients for this recipe, however try and be creative if you're missing some ingredients. Feel free to ask for alternatives. 

For the recipe 

 

Ingredients 

5 peeled unripened Mangoes cut into chunks 

1 large ripened Mango cut into chunks (which was a late addition to my recipe).

30g of freshly grated Ginger 

Grated 2 large cloves of Garlic 

4 Cardamom deseeded  pods (keep the skins for making tea)

3 finely diced Red Chillies 

1 teaspoon of Turmeric powder 

1 teaspoon of Nigella seeds

1 teaspoon of Cumin seeds

1 stalk of Lemon grass (use the bottom part)

1 medium sized shallot

1 teaspoon of Garam Masala

75g of Cane sugar or Coconut sugar

1 tablespoonful of Coconut oil

2 tablespoonful of Vinegar 

Half a teaspoon of Asafoetida 

Salt to taste

Method 

 

Place the Ginger, Cardamom seeds, Shallot, Lemon grass, Red chillies , Salt and Cumin seeds into a mortar. Grind with a pestle to a rough paste and set aside.

 

Place the Green Mango chunks (leave the ripened Mangoes for later), half the spicy Lemongrass mixture, Sugar , Asafoetida and Turmeric into a bowl and mix till well combined. Leave the mixture to marinade for at least 5 hours or better still overnight.

 

When you're ready to cook, take the Mango chunks out of the fridge and bring to room temperature.

Place a saucepan on a medium heat and melt the Coconut oil.

Add the remaining spicy Lemongrass paste , Garam Masala and fry gently for 5 minutes.

Add the Mango mixture and set the heat to the lowest settings. Cover the saucepan to cook the mixture  for 20 minutes in its steam (this enhances the natural flavours of the chutney). 

 

Please ensure you stir the mixture occasionally to prevent the bottom of the saucepan from catching the sauce. 

 

Add the ripened Mango chunks at this stage ( this refreshes the Mango flavour and Mango chunks to the Chutney).

Cook for a further 4 minutes and sprinkle with Nigella seeds.

 

Leave the Chutney to cool down and transfer it into a sterilised jar with a sealed lid.

This will keep for about 4 - 6 weeks in the fridge.

Best served with Meat, Vegetables, Fish or Cheese dishes.

I'll be using my Chutney to glaze my grilled Mutton later and more. See my Instagram page 'Ndudu_by_Fafa' for more inspiring photos.

I hope you're inspired to make your own Mango Chutney.

Enjoy!

Find inspiring recipes on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa'

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.