Saturday, May 19, 2012

Mango chutney...


mango chutney

I didn't know Mango chutney is more popular in the west than the country of it's origin. I was astonished when a few of my blog friends pointed out. How can a chutney which is a staple sweet n sour condiment on our plate every summer in practically every home , be more popular in far away countries who import mangoes from us?

This is the power of food uniting us in amazing ways.

I still wonder how the firangs can eat more mango chutney that us :-)

May be the mango chutney is more popular as a packaged product, more visible on the shelves of supermarket. That is a believable thought. Isn't it.

Having said that, all Indian states have their own version of mango chutney and all homes have their own finer nuances going on with chutneys. After all chutneys are made to suit individual palates, something you lick in a small quantity and get a satiety feeling after a meal. Even if the meal was boring.

Chutneys were a way to perk up everyday meals initially I guess. More chutneys were eaten in summers as this was the season when only a few vegetables were available and Indian summers didn't allow much meat eating in those natural living days without these air conditioned bubbles to call a home. Chutneys with mint, green chillies, onions and mangoes were cooling on the system.

Even this chutney is. Cooling in one more way as it does not require stove top cooking.

 I prefer the mangoes which get yellowish and squishy, almost half ripe for this particular chutney.

The quick recipe and procedure simplified...

Just peel and chop about 3-4 raw mangoes. Remove the hard stone as you require only the pulp/flesh.

To a cup of raw mango flesh, placed in a pyrex bowl of suitable size, add 1/2 tsp of salt, 3 tbsp of sugar and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Let it rest for a couple of minutes and then repeat microwaving it for 2-3 minutes more.

Take out the bowl and mash the raw mango flesh with the tines of a fork.

Add a generous pinch of red chilly powder and a generous pinch of garam masala.

Now this garam masala is special, and does not include cumin and black peppercorns.

So if you add a regular garam masala from a packet, the taste of the chutney would be a little different. Still tasty.

Powdering one clove, half a green cardamom, few seeds of black cardamom and a tiny piece of cinnamon together freshly in a mortar and pestle can be good if you don't have that special garam masala with you.

Cook the chutney once again for a minute or until it bubbles. The finished chutney becomes like jelly when it cools down and can be preserved for up to 2 months but you wont have to worry about that when you make such small quantity almost instantly.

Make just a bowl and enjoy till you get a next batch of raw mangoes and may be next time you would like to make this one...aam ka khatta metha achar when you get unripe mangoes.

Note: If you want to cook this chutney in a pan, just mix everything except red chilly powder and garam masala and add 2-3 tbsp of water as it might stick to the pan, and cook till it gets squishy. Mash and add the powders and take off the stove.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature if you make a smaller quantity to last about a fortnight. Otherwise refridgerate up to a year.

Banaras ka khana has shifted to it's own domain now. Please let me know if you find any difficulty searching for recipes or in commenting here. It will be immensely helpful in making the site more user friendly.

Thank you.

5 comments:

  1. love it anytime with anything, but specially as a spread on my pooris :)

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  2. Super simple recipe that. But it might be a little sour for my taste, so I will increase the quantity of sugar :)

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  3. Congrats for new domain,..chutney looks delicious,will try sometime

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  4. Thanks for the recipe. It was very tasty. Made some mods. Added half tsp of turmeric for colour and Zafran at the end

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