Golden Mango and Lemon Chutney Recipe

Golden Mango and Lemon Chutney. Photo by Ed Anderson.

This is a pretty, glowing, golden chutney. It’s good with seafood because it’s bright and tart, and it has a nice lemony kick. Don’t substitute brown sugar for the granulated sugar if you want to keep the golden hue of the fruit in the finished chutney. Choose yellow mangoes that are on the firmer side.

Yields 10 half-pint jars.

Ingredients:

• 7 firm yellow mangoes
• 1 cup golden raisins Orange juice, lemon juice, or hot water, to just cover raisins
• 2 cups granulated sugar, plus more as needed
• 4 cloves garlic 2 small yellow onions, cut into large dice
• 2 organic lemons, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 4 fresh red chiles, stemmed and chopped
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar, divided1 tablespoon salt, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• Fresh lemon juice, as needed

Directions:

1. Place 4 small plates in the freezer.
2. Working with 1 mango at a time, hold it vertically and slice the flesh away from the pit on both sides. Peel the halves and cut the flesh into large dice. You should end up with about 7 cups of fruit.
3. Place raisins in a small bowl with enough orange juice to cover. Set aside to plump.
4. In a large preserving pot, gently combine mangoes and sugar.
5. Combine garlic, onions, lemons, ginger, and chiles in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until pulverized. Add 3/4 cup vinegar, and pulse again. Add mixture to mangoes. Stir in salt, cardamom, cardamom seeds, mustard seeds, ginger, and remaining vinegar.
6. Place 2 baking sheets on the counter near your stove, and line them with towels. Set 2 stockpots on the stove, and divide the empty jars between them. Fill the stockpots with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches, and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Sterilize the jars by boiling them for 10 minutes. Heat the lids in a bowl of hot water. Leave the jars and lids in the water to stay warm. Or, if preferred, you can keep the jars warm in an oven preheated to 200 F.
7. Bring the mango mixture in the preserving pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add raisins, and continue simmering, stirring often (to prevent the raisins from sinking and scorching), until the chutney has thickened. The raisins will absorb some of the liquid, so you may need to add lemon juice to cover and thin the mixture.
8. Taste, and adjust the sweet-tart ratio, adding more sugar, lemon juice, and salt as needed. Do a plate test. The chutney should mound on the plate but still be syrupy. If it fails the plate test, cook it for a few more minutes, and then repeat the process until it passes. Remove the pot from the heat.
9. Place the warm, empty jars on the baking sheets. Ladle the chutney into the jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean, set the lids on the mouths of the jars, and twist on the rings.
10. Using a jar lifter, gently lower the jars into the stockpots. When the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to an active simmer, and process the jars for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for 1 to 2 minutes.
11. Use the jar lifter to transfer the jars from the pots to the baking sheets, and let sit for at least 6 hours, or until cool enough to handle. Check to be sure the jars have sealed. Label the jars, and store the sealed chutney for up to 2 years. Once open, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

For more flavorful recipes, visit Preserving Fresh Fruit.

Reprinted with permission from Jam Session by Joyce Goldstein ©2018, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.