If you are planning on making mango chutney at home for the first time, then these tips will help you to get great results, ensuring your chutney can rival anything you'll find in the shops. Making mango chutney is a bit of an art, so even if you have done so before, it will be worth reading the following guidance before preparing your next batch.
Learn how to make mango chutney at home
You don't need a professional kitchen or large vats when making mango chutney. It is something all cooks can do at home with the right approach, much like how mango chutney is used in salmon & mango chutney with zucchini & potato wedges to add a unique, tangy twist.
What is mango chutney?
Chutneys are preserves typically associated with the cuisines of the Asian sub-continent. They are a sweet yet savoury accompaniment, somewhere between a jam and a relish. Various ingredients are used to flavour them, including mango. Mango chutney is often served alongside popadums or many traditional Indian recipes, but it can also be used in cooking as well.
Homemade mango chutney recipe
Homemade mango chutney is a vegetarian recipe that everyone can enjoy. To make mango chutney:
- Peel and chop a kilo of mangoes, placing them into a non-stick saucepan with half a litre of vinegar and 450 grams of sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring all the time, and then turn the pan to a simmer.
- When the sugar has fully dissolved, add half a teaspoon of turmeric and increase the heat a little to reduce the fluid.
- Continue reducing the chutney for ten minutes, and in the meantime, prepare some aromatic flavours to add to the mix.
- With a pestle and mortar, crush some cardamom seeds, nigella seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, and cumin seeds, adding them to the chutney according to individual flavour preference.
- You can also add freshly crushed garlic, finely chopped chilli, and grated ginger, but these are not mandatory.
- Add salt and reduce the heat once more, continuing to cook the mango chutney for 90 minutes.
Making mango chutney tips
The basic recipe for homemade mango chutney is easy, but you may encounter problems nonetheless. Here are some key mango chutney tips for making it:
- Allow the chutney mixture to cool for at least ten minutes before transferring it to jars for storage, but don't delay beyond this time since it needs to be warm when it is stored.
- If the mixture looks runny, then simply continue to cook it for longer, something that is possible with all chutneys but not when jam-making.
- Ensure the jars you will transfer the mango chutney to are fully sterile and can be sealed tightly to preserve their contents.
- If you want a light cardamom flavour, then add whole pods, not just their crushed seeds. After, fish them out using a spoon before storing the chutney.
- For a smooth mango chutney, blitz the fruit in a food processor before adding it to the pan.
- Chilli flavours can overpower any chutney, so one of the best mango chutney tips is to opt for large ones, which you can deseed more easily to reduce their intensity.
Cooking with mango chutney: Tips and guidance
Due to its intensely sweet yet savoury flavour combination, making mango chutney doesn’t only mean serving it as an accompaniment or a condiment. In fact, cooking with mango chutney can add flavour intensity to a wide range of Indian-style dishes. Here are some tips to get you started:
- When cooking with mango chutney, add it to dishes early on to create a base layer of flavour rather than later when it is harder to judge how much to use.
- If you are cooking a curry by frying an onion or browning off meat, then put the mango chutney in the curry close to the start of the process. This will allow its flavour to permeate the ingredients, much like how it complements the spices in chicken tikka & garlic rice.
- Mango chutney pairs well with halloumi recipes, so consider a recipe like sweet and sticky mango halloumi to get you started using it in cooking.
- Some homemade mango chutneys can be particularly sweet. If so, add some bitter ingredients to the dish to balance this sweetness, such as fenugreek seeds or turmeric.
- Sour ingredients, including vinegar, lime juice, or a freshly squeezed lemon, can also help to counterbalance the sweetness inherent when cooking with mango chutney.
- Stir mango chutney through cold rice if you want to enliven it for a salad.
- Consider mixing it with mayonnaise to function as a quick-and-easy marinade for mango chutney chicken dishes — it’s the mainstay of most coronation chicken recipes.
For a different take, try using it in Caribbean beef chilli, where its sweetness adds an unexpected depth of flavour.
Mango chutney FAQs
Why do you add vinegar to chutney?
Vinegar, like sugar, helps to preserve the fruit in mango chutney. Without it, you’d have mango jam, though, because it also brings the distinctive tangy flavour that all chutneys are associated with.
Why hasn’t my chutney set?
Unset chutney has too much liquid. Either spoon some off and reheat it, or simply return it to the pan to reduce for longer until it sets properly.
Can you get smooth mango chutney?
You can buy smooth mango chutney or make it yourself by pulverising the mango fruit until it becomes paste-like before making the chutney. Just a few seconds longer in the food processor is all that is needed to get the taste without the lumps.
How do you make chutney thicker?
Add a thickening agent to a chutney to make it more dense. You can buy specialist products for this, but cornflour or even plain flour will do the job, so long as they’re stirred in well.
Do you simmer chutney with the lid on or off?
Simmer homemade mango chutney with the lid off. Doing this will allow the chutney mixture to reduce, making it thicker and stickier.
What can you use instead of mango chutney?
If you want to add chutney to a dish you are preparing but have none, then try brinjal (aubergine) chutney or even marmalade if it's made with bittersweet Seville oranges. Additionally, plum sauce is an acceptable alternative as well.
For more global flavour inspiration, consider exploring Moroccan recipes, which often use similar sweet and savoury combinations.