Mangoes are in season! I love mangoes they are such a versatile fruit to work with! You can peel and eat, or eat them with the covers, blend into a thick juice, make a smoothie, place slices on pizza (try the ThaiFrican), eat with ice cream…so many options. I could eat them all day, every day. When in season they are definitely cheaper to buy compared to when they are not.
I like to make mango chutney when they are in season and use it through out the year. The dip is easy to make and when properly stored can last you until the next mango season. It can be eaten with anything from chips and crisps, to bread, rice, and meats. Its up to your taste buds really.
Chutney is a side dish in indian cuisine whose ingredients can vary from tomatoes, to groundnuts, yoghurt, cucumber and mint. Today, there are many variations from various international cuisines.
To make my version of the mango chutney, i use:
-Ripe mangoes (of course)
-White Vinegar
-Red Chillies
-Garlic
-Ginger
The ingredients
The vinegar gives the dip a long shelf life so that it can be preserved for use throughout the year.
Peel and chop the mangoes. Crush the garlic and ginger. Chop the red pepper into small pieces, since i don’t like it very hot, i only use the cover of the chili and throw away the seeds.
For the two mangoes above, i only used 3 cloves of garlic, thumb size ginger and half the chili.
Put every thing in a blender, add a teaspoon and a half of vinegar and blend till a thick paste is formed. Taste to check if all the ingredients balance, it should have a sweet and tangy taste before the chili kicks in.
Mango chutney dip in storage containers
I placed the chutney in small containers for storage in the freezer. I used the small containers since i never have to use too much at any given time.
Ready to get into the freezer
To use the chutney, remove it in advance and allow it to naturally thaw. Using a microwave to defrost it may change the taste as you are introducing heat to the dip…sort of cooking it.
Also the top layer of the chutney when stored could discolor and become brownish. Worry not, after thawing, just scoop off the top layer and you will meet with the original colored chutney :)!!
Try it and share the results.
Keep it DIY!!
DIY Nyumbani 