Mmmmmmango’s

I’ve had this post sitting just waiting for pictures to accompany it. Mango season is almost over, better be quick…

It’s mango season here in Grafton. I can’t say you can have too many mango’s, but friends of us are harvesting a hundred a day from their tree in the backyard.
We got two boxes to take home, first box has already been eaten or disappeared into a double batch of spicy mango chutney, using this recipe (link). A beautiful dark (balsamic vinegar) and spicy spread.
A second lot had to wait in the fridge for white wine vinegar to be bought for another chutney recipe from our dear beloved grandma Fischer. The original recipe was to pickle cucumbers and zucchini, but works great for mango (or melon) as well.

Grandma’s Recipe for mango chutney:
- Clean a bowl of mango’s from their skins and seeds until your left with a kilogram of mango flesh.
- Chop in medium size pieces and put in a large thick bottomed pot with: 0.5L of white (wine) vinegar, 400grams of sugar, 10 cloves and 4 cinnamon sticks. With as an option: turmeric, ginger, sultana’s.
- Bring to boil until pieces are glazed and tender.
- With a slotted spoon scoop out the pieces and divide over your (sterilised) jars.
- Then return the liquid mixture to a rolling boil to increase the thickness to syrup
- Pour over the pieces to fill up the jars to the brim and add the lid.
- To be safe, put all the hot jars in a big pot of water and boil for 20 minutes
- Put the jars somewhere dark, to let the taste increase for about 6 weeks. (If you can wait that long).

That’s a lot of jars of mango chutney! Where do I use it for?
With Indian food (pakora link), mixed or not with yoghurt, makes a great dip. Also with a roast, brings sweet and spicy to a dish. Over the weekend we had some on dark rye bread with camembert (quince paste, eat your heart out!). But most will be used to another family recipe, my husbands side this time.
I’ve been making it for years, always making sure I’ve got a jar sitting in the pantry. It makes such a simple tasty dish in a heartbeat, a favourite with the kids.

Mango sweet and sour:
- Fry up a small onion, once glazed add some diced chicken (or beef strips, prawns,…) and a cup of sliced mushrooms (some finely diced capsicum and grated carrot hide really well in this sauce too).
- Add a couple of spoons of tomato paste, a tablespoon of curry powder, half a tablespoon of cinnamon powder and half a jar of mango chutney.
- Let simmer for a bit, just before serving add a diced up cucumber.
Serve with rice.