Mangoes are definitely the silver lining of the Northern Indian summers. Unlike in some southern Indian states (and further east of India) where mangoes are available year round, in Delhi we have access to both green and ripe mangoes only through the summer. Or, maybe, I should say that we have seasons other than summer and therefore, our fruits and vegetables change as the seasons roll! Another silver lining of living in the heat and dust bowl that is the North India Plain!
The superior pickling mangoes, such as Ramkela, arrive after the first monsoon showers. Evey year I make batches of mango pickles though the quantities I now make are more proportionate to the moderate amounts we consume. Amongst the mango pickles I make is the Punjabi kind to which I sometimes add karonde and chickpeas. The Andhra-style mango pickle with garlic and loads of chillies is a favourite of ours, especially the son and I; it makes a great combination with besan-paranthas. Since the last few years I have also started making Shilpa’s (actualy, Varada’s!) konkani-style shredded mango pickle. At the start of mango season, I also make a quick pickle from the fallen Amrapali mangoes in my mom’s backyard using my own pickling spice mix, or, sometimes, the K-Pra brand amba lonche spice mix from Maharashtra.
There is still some time for the pickling mangoes to arrive in the market. The green mangoes that are available right now are great for grinding into everyday mint-coriander chutneys, made into panna, the refreshing, minty, summer cooler drink, or cooked into sweet-sour chutneys/relishes that have a long shelf-life. Inspired by this tomato relish (with the markets full of lovely summer tomatoes it’s time to make this one too!) I tried a green mango relish, a tad spicier than the common nigella-flavoured mango chutney that is very common in Punjab and UP homes.
Aam ki chutney
Green Mango Relish
green mango, peeled and sliced, 1 C
1/2 t vegetable oil
1/2 t kalonji (nigella seeds)
1/4 C sugar
1t, heaped, kuti lal mirch (red chilli flakes)
1t salt
Prepare the mango as shown above. In a non-reactive pan heat the small amount of oil. Add kalonji and wait a few seconds before adding the sliced mango pieces and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer mangoes till they are tender but not cooked to a mush. Add sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved add the red chilli flakes, and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cook till the chutney has thickened and is no longer syrupy, about 10-15 minutes. It will thicken further as it cools. Transfer to a clean glass jar and refrigerate.
The recipe can easily be scaled up. In fact, it is better to make a larger batch; this recipe makes barely 6-8 servings. I served it with shukto and it was gone within the day! I like it hot and loved the amount of heat in this. If you use less chilli, the colour will be much paler – yellow rather than red. Since this is a cooked chutney with a good amount of sugar, I would think it should keep well refrigerated. I am planning to make a few extra bottles next time to share with my mom and sister.
A Mad Tea Party 
I arrived. I drooled. I left this quick-but-marvy post as enviously green as the lovely-and-quite-out-of-reach mangoes you are enjoying. 🙂
Mangoes are my answer to mole! nSaving grace. 😉
You still have not prepared mole from scratch!? It only takes a moment- what’s the hold-up? 😉
I cooked it, but there were a few substitutes and I didn’t care for what I ended up with! I doubt it was anywhere close to the original thing. 😦
Reminds me of the chutney my friends mom used to make for us. Delicious.
Where was he/she from, which part of India? I think the Bengali chutney is also very similar, just less hot.
Mmmmm…. I think I may have seen some green mangoes in our local grocer, time to go pay a visit. Unfortunately we don’t live in mango world and I miss them so much. I really balk at paying huge amounts for substandard mangoes, but then again when the craving hits, I have to go looking for them. The cravings hitting me now 🙂
I hope you were able to find green mangoes without them costing a hand and a foot! The recipe might work with other tart fruit too – like sour apples, I bet!
Ooh delicious looking recipe. Too bad I wil have to wait for summer to get my hands on some green mangoes.
You can make the other one, the one with tomatoes!
Dear Anita,
A small question pls: when you say, ‘when it is no longer syrupy’ what will the chutney look like? Is that 10-15 minutescooking critical to get to the not-syrupy stage?
Needs to be thicker than a syrup. The chutney will look like it does in the picture! 🙂 The cooking is important to improve the shelf life of the preserve which may not be critical if you are making the quantity specified because the chutney will be long gone before it can get a chance to spoil!
Lovely chutney. The kalonji and chillies with the sour mango..yum!
Thanks!
1/4 cup sugar high per person! 😀 This reminds me of gulchaat – green mangoes cooked with jaggery, mustard seeds and red chile powder. I think it has only as much oil as a typical phodni though. I’ve been thinking of making it now that my grocer is carrying green mangoes again. I end up paying $3-4 per green mango O.o
And, your besan parathas are *the* best! They’re a huge hit every time I make them!
It is as well then that we don;t get green mangoes throughout the year! Are you planning to make some mango pickle then?
Those besan paranthas are truly satisfying at all levels – for the cook and the gourmand!
PS: Made a fresh batch (6x the recipe!) last night; the recipe above uses 1/4 C sugar! That was a typo! 🙂
Typo?! Thank me for bringing it to your notice!
I generally don’t make mango pickle as the mangoes I get are never truly unripe. We end up eating them with salt and mirchi powder 😀 Or I use it in mint / cilantro chutneys. But they’d work for gulchaat, though, as it’s cooked.
😉 Thank you for bringing it to my notice!
Your apricot chutney turned out well, but you could use the semi-ripe mangoes to make this chutney.
You hv got me in luv with the kashmiri food. Sadly I dono any place in B’lore that seres authentic kashmiri food!
In which case, you just have to cook it yourself! It is amongst the easiest cuisines to cook – try a recipe from here and find out!
Hi this looks delicious- could you tell me what measurement 1T is please ? (teaspoon ? Table spoon?) thank you so much (I guess a C is a cup?)
t=teaspoon
T=tablespoon
Right on the C=cup!
We do same but with mustard seeds and mustard oil. Anita, read your interview on BlogAdda, so very sensible, just like you 🙂
I imagined as much!
Thanks, Bongmom! It was fun to do the interview!
I love mango chutney, mustard and red chilli is how my mom makes it 🙂 I do miss the mango season and the different varieties that are available.
I would have expected the Bong version to have kalonji though. In any case, very much similar.
Anita, could not find the comment button on the post for Pachrang Pickle. Gorgeous looking dish! And yes, we used to crave for the North Indian style pickle’s and yes, a light rinsing and then hours of savouring that mango-stone scrap absorbed in a book…:-)
I don’t know how comments came to be not allowed on that post. Fixed it.
So you did the same with the pickle as a kid! 🙂
Yes! And it usually accompanied a ‘story book’…:-)
Or just hanging out by the window looking at the street activity. . .