In my entire life, I have never been a fruit lover. Needless to say, my parents had a tough time feeding me and later convincing me to include healthy fruits in my diet, (irrespective of the lucrative deals of interesting stories and list of benefits attached with the fruits). However, it had always been different with the ‘king of fruits’. Like most Indians, my love for mangoes is eternal. Ever since I remember my existence, I remember the longing for the sweet fragrance of mangoes, that would fill our house in summer. And of-course, this love for mango is extended to different forms like mango ice-cream, mango juices (how can we forget the legendary Frooti), aam papad etc.
Probably, this is the reason I can see immense love for the fruit in my son’s eyes and tongue ;), and probably this is the reason why mango has a special place, in our history, rituals, poems, songs etc. Mango was so significant in our culture, that Mauryas and Marathas planted mango trees during their reigns as sign of prosperity.
Now, coming back to my love for mango, as mentioned earlier I have always been a mango lover of both ripe and raw variants. I remember when I was a kid, I used to steal raw mangoes from my maternal grandfather’s so-called little garden, peeled them with razor blade and then enjoyed the mischievous fruit and act with a pinch of salt which was again stolen from my grandma’s kitchen.
The never ending love and stories of mangoes will go on. Like, having aam panna in summer after we were back from school, or a delightful lunch when the menu included mango chutney or aamer chaatney as we call it in Bengali.
Well, today I am sharing a glimpse of my childhood memories from my Maa’s kitchen in the form of Mango Chutney. This mango chutney, as versatile as we all know, can be enjoyed with chapattis, parathas (my favourite is a combination of sattu ka paratha and mango chutmey) or simple dal chawal. It can also be enjoyed as a dip for any kind of snacks like samosas, pakoras etc. or having it as it is.
So let’s create another masterpiece with ‘Everyday Recipe’ in the form of ‘Mango Chutney’.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes on low flame Equipments used: One non-stick kadai/pan, one cooking spoon
Ingredients:
- 2 medium sized raw mangoes
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon yellow or black mustard seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 red chilly
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 cups water
- ½ tablespoon and ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 & ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ tablespoon crushed ginger
- ¼ teaspoon red chilly powder
- ½ piece of a small lemon
Method:
- Wash the mangoes, peel them and cut them into slices. Keep them aside
- Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds in hot oil and let them pop
- In the hot oil add bay leaf and red chilly
- Now, add the sliced mango pieces and turmeric powder into the pan
- Stir and mix the ingredients properly
- Now cover the pan and let it cook for 4-5 minutes on a low flame till the mangoes are tender, stirring occasionally
- Add two cups of water, again let it cook for 10 minutes on a low flame
- When the mangoes start dissolving, add sugar and salt followed by garam masala powder and red chilly powder
- Finally add crushed ginger
- When the chutney is creamy, take it out from hob and squeeze a piece of half lemon for added flavour
Wash and peel two medium sized raw mangoes.
Cut the mangoes into slices.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, bay leaf and red chilly.
Add sliced mango pieces and turmeric powder and mix all the ingredients properly. Cover the pan and let it cook on low flame for 4-5 minutes.
Once the mango pieces are tender, add 2 cups of water. Cover the pan and let it cook for 8-10 minutes
Add garam masala powder and finally add ginger.
Squeeze lemon for added flavour
Tips:
- Jaggery can be used instead of sugar
- Don’t add salt and sugar in the beginning. It might give a burnt texture and flavor to the mango pieces
- To get the perfect taste as per your tastebuds, don’t add salt and sugar altogether. Taste it and add salt and sugar accordingly. This is the same reason why I have given the measurement of sugar and salt in spoons instead of cups (refer to the ‘Ingredients’ section)
- If you are using non-stick pan, heat the pan on low or medium flame
- The exact time required to prepare the chutney depends on the size of the burner, quality of pan, etc. The chutney is ready when the mango pieces start melting and the chutney becomes creamy
- You can use any oil. However, if you are using coconut or any other strong flavoured oil, please remember the flavor of mangoes might get diluted. I have used mustard oil for this recipe
