Mango Chutney

Now that I'm home and have time and inclination, I took two of the bags of "cheeked" mangoes out of my deep freeze and put them in the big stock pot to thaw overnight. I sit the pot in the laundry sink, as, as the mangoes thaw, a great deal of condensation forms on the outside of the pot and if on the bench, makes rather a large puddle.

I am lucky enough that my kid's friends have a large mango tree and they don't eat mangoes - what on earth is wrong with these people! Last year, they had a massive crop so my son, who by trade is an arborist, climbed the tree and picked all the mangoes, throwing them down to us to put in bags, boxes and whatever other large containers we could find. We spent days, cutting the mango flesh off the stone and freezing it. It kept us in chutney and smoothies for ages. Unfortunately, this year, the tree had no fruit, so we have gone nearly a year without my famous chutney. When cleaning out the freezer a while ago, I discovered four bags of mango cheeks - it was like finding gold, well, nearly.

I have combined two or three mango chutney recipes to make the one I use and adjusted the amount of sugar. I figure with the sweetness of the mango's, not as much sugar is needed. The recipe is as follows:-

Mango Chutney

1.5 kgs of mango flesh
500 gm onions - chopped finely (I use the food processor)
2 chillies (optional) (increase if you want a really hot chutney)
1 red capsicum, diced
60 gm Garlic (optional)
750 gm brown sugar
500 mls vinegar (I use apple cider)
1 cup strong green tea (2 teabags)
2 tsp plain salt
2 tsp yellow mustard seed
1 handful Sultanas - optional


In a muslin/herb bag
2 bay leaves
1 lge cinnamon stick (Broken up)
8 cardamon pods
2 tsp black peppercorns
3 star anise


To a large stock pot add to the mango the chopped onion.

I then add all the other ingredients, except the vinegar, which I pour over last as I find this helps to  start the brown sugar dissolving. You may find, if you are using frozen mango that there is quite a lot of juice/liquid in the pot once they have thawed. Don't worry about this, it cooks off.

   

Bring the mixture to the boil, stir occasionally. Turn heat down until you get a nice rolling simmer. Leave cooking until mixture has reduced. Stir frequently to ensure the mixture is not sticking to the bottom and burning. On my gas rings, it takes about 45 mins to get to the thickness I like. I have to stir continually for the last 10 to 15 minutes, otherwise it would stick and burn. The mixture darkens with cooking - this is normal, don't worry. 

Bottle into clean jars. Lid once cool. Makes about 2 litres of chutney. 

Ready to put into jars

This chutney is a hit with my family, extended family and friends. I'm going to buy (sob) a tray of mangoes while they are cheap and make a batch to take home to NZ as Christmas gifts. A few jars make there way down to Victoria to my daughter-in-laws family and also up the NT where two of her brothers live.

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