Mango Chutney
It was sort of like gold, having been gifted a whole case of mangoes from my friend Jyothi upon hosting the now summer past International Ladies Group barbecue, one of our annual gathering events that includes all of the families.
Already perfectly ripe and juicy, I had to work fast to prepare my long desired Mango Chutney as mangoes are a real favorite at my house and even a case disappears quickly left to the whims of the household.
Before gifting Jyothi a jar from the batch at our next ladies gathering I already know she will be pleased with the choice having snagged the needed five or six mangoes from the box for this particular recipe.
Initially I had mentioned posting Auntie’s (Jyothi’s Mom’s) mango drink which Jyothi insisted as being way too simple to Post on the blog. I didn’t necessarily agree, since lots of folks like very simple, delicious, recipe ideas.
The mango drink, once prepared and shared with me by Auntie over our lengthy discussion on the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita, besides mango, simply includes some milk and sugar, or is it condensed milk and sugar?
Preparing Mango Chutney also put to good use to one of the few abundant splendors produced in my garden this summer, hot peppers, which then provided a nice kick in preparing my adapted recipe from James Beard’s “American Cookery.”
Perusing through my cookbooks evolved into a series of coincidence along the canning route, for at a particular juncture I had initially been looking for a recipe for Chow Chow.
Chow Chow being an Amish, Pennsylvania Dutch, jarred combination of tangy yet sweet pickled vegetables always reminds me of the pickled vegetable displays Aunt Betty used to serve alongside meals set upon smallish sized crystal rectangular dishes. Given this warm flavor memory, it was exciting to purchase a large jar of ready canned Chow Chow (I should have bought a case) at the Kitchen Kettle shops in Lancaster following a day of a horse and buggy ride through Amish country with my grandson, the J-Dude.
My later snacking on the quart jar of Chow Chow was to the point of embarrassing, lets just say I ate the whole jar rather quickly, leaving me craving more, or finding a recipe to sort of replicate it. James Beard to the rescue, provided such a recipe on page 826, Chow Chow, guess where? On page 827 right next to a recipe for “Chutney,” that with some spice tweaking turned out perfectly lovely for today’s mango specialty. Ping. Ping.
Believe it or not, our Tour Guide for the day actually let the J- Dude guide the horse reins for a few miles of the trip, and at age ten, this would not be unusual for any among the children living in the Amish community. He was up for the task too and indeed did a real good job.
Funny how things somehow tie together. A box of ripe mangoes gifted by Jyothi, inspiring Mango Chutney, a Horse and Buggy Ride through Amish Country with the J-Dude, capturing fond flavor memories of Aunt Betty through pickled vegetables Chow Chow, and a cookbook search leading me to James Beard American Cookery providing recipe adaptations for both. All wrapped up, offering happy memories from seasons past to those next to come.
Mango Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2- 2 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 5 cups fresh chopped mangoes
- 1 medium sized lemon, thinly sliced, seeded, chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped ginger
- 1 1/2 cups golden raisins
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- 2 red jalapenos, or other red hot pepper, seeds removed, chopped finely
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or a bit more for spicier chutney
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
- Preparing the Chutney: Bring vinegar and brown sugar to a boil. Add in the mango, simmer for ten minutes. Stir the remaining ingredients and simmer on the lowest heat until mixture is thick, stirring intermittently for approximately an hour, more, or less
- Preparing Canning of the Mango Chutney: Fill the thickened chutney into hot sterilized jars about a 1/4 inch from the top, wipe off any drippings. Secure jars with lid tops that have been simmering in hot water on stove. Cook chutney in water bath to seal for 15 minutes beginning timing as soon as the water boils in the canning pot. Remove chutney filled jars from the pot. The lids should ping indicating the chutney is sealed. Place canned chutney on top of a clean towel away from the light and let sit undisturbed for a day or two.
- Remove the outer seal of the lid before storing in pantry
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