Winter brings with it a generous harvest of tropical fruits. And though National Mango Day is August 14th, you’ve probably noticed some good deals on mangoes lately. I scooped up a basket full of them to make a big batch of Indian Mango Chutney to bottle.
Chutney dates back to 500 BC. Chutneys are endless in variety and ingredients, but they generally consist of fruit, vinegar, and sugar cooked down to a reduction. The word “chutney” is derived from the Sanskrit word caṭnī, meaning to lick. In other words, finger-lickin’ good!
Here is a recipe I developed a few years ago for an Indian Mango Chutney. It’s sweet and spicy and is delicious either as a spread, a dip, or used in cooking a variety of Indian cuisine (recipes will follow!). Ginger, garlic and red chilies are sauteed in oil and then cumin, coriander, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom are added to coax out their robust flavors. Fresh mango, sugar and vinegar is added and it is slowly cooked down to a sticky and delicious concoction.
Another spice that is in this recipe is nigella, which comes from an annual flowering plant native to south and southwest Asia. Other names for it include black cumin, onion seed and kalonji. It’s hard to describe the flavor of nigella. Wikipedia describes them as “a combination of onions, black pepper and oregano, with a bitterness like mustard seeds.” The flavor is really unlike anything you’ve tasted before. It’s fantastic! I love to use it at every possible opportunity when I make Indian or Middle Eastern foods. It’s wonderful in curries and it positively transforms breads and potatoes. Nigella is commonly sprinkled on naan bread in India and is a wonderful spice to use in any “carb-based” dish. It’s adds a delicious dimension of flavor to this mango chutney.
This chutney is great as a stand-alone spread, but it’s also fantastic to cook with. Here are three recipes using this chutney and more will come:
Grilled Cheese & Chutney Sandwiches
Pulled Chicken Mango Sandwiches
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Now, let’s get started on that heavenly chutney!
You’ll need about 4-5 ripe mangoes.
Peel the mangoes.
Cut off as much of the mango off the stubborn pit as you can and chop up the mango flesh. Set aside.
Get some fresh ginger and garlic.
Finely mince the ginger and garlic.
Over medium-high heat, heat some vegetable oil in a medium stock pot and saute the garlic, ginger and some diced red chilies for about a minute.
Add the spices and saute for another minute.
Add the chopped mangoes to the pot.
Add the sugar and salt.
Add the white vinegar.
Stir up the mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue on a steady simmer for one hour.
After an hour of simmering. Depending on how finely you diced the mango, you can either leave it as is, or you can use a potato masher or blender stick to mash up some of the larger pieces.
After a bit of mashing. Stored in jars in the fridge this chutney will last up to at least two months. You can also freeze it for several months. For long-term storage, can it in airtight jars: Pour the mixture directly into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Let sit undisturbed for 24 hours then store jars in a dark, cool place. Will keep for at least a year.
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 red chili, sliced
- 2 teaspoons whole nigella seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4-5 mangoes (about 250-300 grams each), peeled and diced
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- Heat the oil over medium-high in a medium stock pot. Saute the ginger, garlic and red chilies for a minute. Add the spices and saute for another minute. Add the diced mangoes, sugar, salt, and vinegar and stir to combine. Bring it to a rapid boil and reduce to medium-low. Steady simmer for 1 hour. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. If you prefer smaller chunks, use a potato masher to mash the mixture to the desired consistency.
- For storage, chutney will keep for a while because of the high acidity content. A conservative time frame would be up to 2 months in the fridge (in a sealed jar) or for several months in the freezer. Canning of course yields the longest shelf-life: Pour the hot mixture directly into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Let sit undisturbed for 24 hours, then store in a dark, cool place. Will keep for at least a year.
Maree says
I have been making your Mango chutney recipe for a couple of years now….it’s superb! I will NEVER happily buy it from a store again as I cannot imagine anything to surpass the subtle flavour combination. It’s too delicious to describe in words!……..I urge other readers to not hesitate to give it a try. Simple recipe with easy to follow directions resulting in an amazing adventure for your tastebuds! Many thanks for sharing this great recipe. Best wishes from Tasmania! 😎
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Greetings to Tasmania, Maree, and I am positively thrilled to hear you enjoy this as much as we do! I make a large batch of this every year for canning to last us through the year. Thank you so much for your generous feedback! Best, Kimberly
Tina says
I am going to try your recipe in the next couple of days. Do you use red jalapeño peppers or red Serrano peppers?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Tina, I usually use red Thai chilies because that’s what the grocery stores around here tend to carry. Between red jalapeno and red serrano, jalapenos are milder so go with whatever your heat preference is.
Colin says
waiting on Nigella seeds from Amazon. I am an Indian food addict!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Me too, Colin! I love, LOVE the variety of spices in Indian cuisine. If you’ve never tried nigella seeds before you’re in for a treat. They have a really unique flavor that pairs especially well with carbs – sprinkle them on naan bread or incorporate them into the dough and it’s pure heaven!
Sharon says
Love this chutney recipe. I’ve made two batches already because after tasting the first batch, I knew I would need more. Plus, I wanted to add more chili pepper in the second batch because I like a little head in my chutney. I’ve already made your chicken recipe with the mango chutney and my family LOVES it!! We had it two nights in a row. Wish I could post pictures. Thanks for sharing these recipes. They will be a mainstay in my family’s dinner rotation.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Sharon, I’m so happy to hear that! I always make a double batch of this chutney too because we go through it quickly. I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the mango chutney chicken as much as we do! Thanks so much for the feedback!
serena says
Great recipe! I altered the spices a bit to what I had in the cupboard and it is really delicious. Prepared in advance for my curry extravaganza birthday dinner on the weekend… should probably stop sneaking into the fridge for a spoonful! Thank you :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, thanks Serena!
pierre bruno says
this looks like a great side condiment, thanks !
I wonder if the 2 cups of sugar is necessary ? can I possibly get by using 1 cup ? since I do not care to make it too sweet.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Pierre, if you reduce the sugar you’d need to check the pH level to ensure it’s acidic enough for safe canning. You can order pH strips online. However, if you’re not planning on canning it for long-term storage then yes, you can decrease the sugar.
Anonymous says
I tasted a version of this today that has added raisins.
Mixed with some raw shredded beets and carrots (it was a salad bar) it was delicious. I can’t wait to make some of this chutney and play around with creating a summertime slaw with this as the showcased flavor pop.
Shienna Mae says
I made this today it taste great just too tangy for me so I adjusted the sugar to my liking,beautiful recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Shienna, thank you!
Lyn Pigney says
This is complete ignorance speaking, but above there was discussion of Major Grey’s chutney. My old UK Good Housekeeping cookbook has Major Marshall’s chutney (plums, pickling spice, garlic, onions tomatoes, malt vinegar, apples, dried apricots, golden syrup, demarara sugar). Do these old Majors have anything in common? Would be happy to give Major Marshall’s recipe in full if anyone’s interested.
Nick K says
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G
Only change I made is the chilli
My red chilli was a Scotch Bonnet.
Used 4 mangoes which gave a total weight of 1350 grams of chopped fruit.
So just used all your measures except heaped them up!
Heated for one hour till temperature reached 105 deg C
Blows your socks off
Filled 2X 1lb jar only!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Nick, thanks so much!
Rune says
Hi looks fantastic, but I would love to know what % cider you use?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Rune, most apple cider vinegars are 5% and that’s what I use. Happy eating!
Cristina says
Thank you Kimberly for the nice recipe.
I had too many pears at home and I was looking for a chutney basis – I wanted to try to prepare a pear chutney with the ingredients that I had at home. It simply worked great. Chutney is delicious even made without nigella seeds, coriander and cumin (and prepared with brown sugar and pears). Please, keep the good work in this website.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Cristina, thanks so much!
Antonietta D'Addio says
Can I substitute Apple Cider Vinegar in this recipe?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Antonietta, yes you can.
Beth says
I first tried mango chutney a few years ago when a friend from Kenya used it as a sauce for her meat samosas. Since then I’ve been looking for a recipe similar to the chutney I got from her. This recipe looked very close to hers so I tried it out over the weekend as my first canning experience. I can’t tell you how happy this recipe makes me – it turned out so good! I weighed the mangoes at the store to get 1200-1250 grams total, and it ended up making nearly seven 4-oz jars of chutney. The only modification I made was using half a chili pepper instead of a whole one since I’m not a fan of super-spicy foods. I’ll definitely be making this again and will double the recipe next time – thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Beth, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
Erol says
I made this recipe and am very, very pleased with the result. I live in Thailand and got fed up paying the equivalent of US$6 for a very small jar of imported mango chutney, which I eat with my home cooked curries and with cheese.
The end result looked great, though, I found it a little on the sweet side, but, I put this down to the variety of mango that I used. The mangoes in your photos are the same that are available in India and are not available here. I used completely yellow mangoes which are sweeter than the Indian variety. Once this batch has been eaten, I’ll make a new batch using a cup and a half of sugar instead of two cups. I couldn’t find Nigella seeds, so, I substituted cumin seeds which worked very well. Thanks for the recipe. Delicious and it’s saving me a fortune.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Erol, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Erol Dinch says
Made it again as the first batch got eaten pretty quickly.
This time, I used only a cup and a half of sugar, mangoes that were a little less ripe, plus, I found some pineapple vinegar that I thought would go well with this recipe.
End result was great! Instead of paying US$6 for a small bottle of imported mango chutney, I paid US$2 for four times the amount (mangoes are cheap here in Thailand).
Must check your site for Indian pickle recipes.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fabulous, Erol! Oh yes, it’s MUCH cheaper to make it yourself – and tastes better. I like to use generous amounts of this chutney in my curries so homemade saves a lot of $$.
Erol Dinch says
Goes great with cheddar cheese sandwiches, too (I just ate one).
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Oh it sure does, Erol! And even better grilled: https://www.daringgourmet.com/grilled-cheese-and-chutney-sandwich/ :)
Erol Dinch says
Made my third batch today. Same way as the second batch, but, substituted a third of the mangoes with sliced fresh pineapple. Came out great and the pineapple adds a certain tang to the chutney. I used fresh pineapple because it is cheap here, but, I’m sure tinned pineapple would work just as well. I’m sooooo glad I ran across this recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m happy to hear it, Erol, thank you! Absolutely, pineapple is a great choice, especially fresh.
Felicity Perkin says
Thank you Kimberley for the super mango chutney recipe. I was dying to try it out so set about making it today. Haven’t tasted it yet, but it looks exactly as per your photos. Am a bit disappointed however about the yield – I used 1 kg mangoes, that is 2 weighing 500 grams each, and followed the recipe exactly according to your instructions. And I only got two 318 gr. jars instead of the 5 half pint ones you said. Can you give me your advice about how to up the quantity? I love your blog and ideas.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m not sure, Felicity, it may have had to do with the size of the mango pits in this particular variety or batch?
G says
I’m excited to make this tomorrow! I was thinking about doubling the recipe to use 4 yellow mangos + 8-9 Spring Bright nectarines & 2 habanero peppers. What do you think- do you think that would be a good combo with this? Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That sounds like a yummy combo, G, go for it and be sure to let us know how it went!
Alan Aldrich says
Great stuff.. I make it all the time to spread on Papadom as an appetizer.
I make it hotter with some chilis.
I also can some to give to friends.
Thanks so much.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Alan, I’m so glad to hear that, thank you!
m-c Cuthill says
Begged recipe from neighbor in Scotland and taking back to US west coast to make for holiday gifting. Many thanks for the delicious taste treat! M-C
Barbara Livesey says
I’m making this right now after eventually finding Nigella seeds also known as Kalonji. The smell of it cooking is amazing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Barbara, I hope you enjoy it!