Mango chutney – Bengali style

2013-04-15
  • Prep Time : 5m
  • Cook Time : 10m
  • Ready In : 15m

Bengalis specialise in making a sweet and tart chutney, that is eaten as a separate course during a meal; right after the meat or fish, but just before the dessert.

It is a must at weddings and special occasions. Chutneys are made out of different things like tomatoes, pineapples and even green mango.

This chutney is extremely versatile, so you don’t have to wait to cook an Indian meal to try this. Eat it with crackers, toast or just by itself.

My mother-in-law is a fabulous cook and makes the most awesome chutneys. This is her recipe for a mango chutney.

Try it, its really yummy.

Ingredients

  • Mango slices- 2 mangoes or 1 tin
  • Sugar 4 - 8 tbsp
  • Salt- 1 pinch
  • Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
  • Red chilli- 1
  • Jeera powder, freshly made- 1 pinch

Method

Peel, slice and dice the mangoes. I took the easy route, and used some sour tinned mangoes. Usually this recipe is made with fresh unripe green mangoes. Don’t use the fresh sweet and ripe mangoes, you will need the tartness.  If using very tender mangoes, you can actually slice through and use the whole fruit, since the seed at the centre wouldn’t have firmed up yet.

Heat oil in a pan, and add mustard seeds and dry red chilli. When they start spluttering, add in the mangoes. As this mango is from a tin, I did not need too much sugar- just 4 tbsp. Double the amount when using raw green mangoes.  Do add more or less according to your taste.

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Add in the diced mangoes and mix well. Add the salt and sugar. Give a stir.

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Almost immediately, you find the sugar melting and the mixture becoming quite watery and sticky.

Reduce the heat , cover and cook. Keep stirring once in a while.

What you need to achieve here is a cooked mango, reduced sugar syrup and a sticky consistency. You will know that the mango is cooked when it gives to the pressure of your spoon.

Do give the spoon a lick and adjust the sugar to your taste.

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While the mango is cooking, dry roast the cumin seeds on a hot pan, cool and powder it.

Freshly roasted jeera is extremely fragrant and makes the kitchen smell divine. You do need only a pinch in this recipe. Bottle and store the rest. It can be sprinkled on any salads or raitas or even curries that you make.

Add a pinch of cumin powder and mix well.

Another way to do it, is to roast the red chilli and powder it as well. But since the heat factor cannot be controlled and I have a very sensitive little one, who will go hopping around at the first bit of chilli, I put a dry red chilli into the hot oil right at the beginning.

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