Bengali Sweet & Spicy Mango Chutney For this recipe you need to work with turning mangoes and half ripe mangoes so you get the hit of tartness and the natural sweetness of the mango. The state of the mangoes is also important to hold up to the cooking process and provide the necessary texture when cooked. INGREDIENTS •

3 turning mangoes

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3 half ripe, firm mangoes

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1 ½ tablespoons oil

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1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds

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Heaped ¼ teaspoon whole jeera (cumin seeds)

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3 dried chilies, broken in half or sliced fresh hot peppers, to taste

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1 ½ teaspoons chili powder

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¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

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Salt to taste

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1/3 cup white sugar or to taste

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4 – 6 cups water (see notes)

DIRECTIONS 1. Rinse peel and cut the mangoes lengthways into thick slices or chop into large chunks. Discard the seeds. Do not cut the mangoes too small if not they will melt completely when cooked. Set aside. 2. Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. 3. Add mustards seeds and as soon as they begin to pop, add the jeera and chili/pepper and fry for 30 – 45 seconds. 4. Add the chili powder and turmeric, and cook for 30 – 45 seconds only. 5. Add mangoes and salt to taste and toss well to mix and coat the mangoes with the spices. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes and then add water. Bring to a boil; cook on high heat for 3 – 4 minutes then cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until mangoes for tender and cooked through. 6. Raise heat to high and add sugar; stir to mix well and let sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 3 – 4 minutes or until the chutney thickens to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust if necessary. The adjustments will be based on the quality of mangoes. The taste should

be sweet, salt and spicy – from the heat of the peppers and flavours of the spiced oil in which it was cooked. 7. Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. NOTES •

Turning mangoes refer to mangoes that are just changing from green to start the ripening process. The mangoes will be very firm and when you sniff it you won’t really smell the flavour of the mangoes.

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Half ripe mangoes are just that, mangoes that are neither green nor fully ripened. When sniffed they will give off hints of their flavour.

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You can choose to leave the edible skin on the mangoes but rinse well and pat dry before cutting.

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The amount of water will depend on how loose you want the chutney syrup to be and also on the quantity of mangoes. Some mangoes are larger than others.

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Some people turn off the heat from the chutney as soon as the sugar has melted completely, for a more watery like syrup.

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Feel free to add a few matchstick slices of fresh ginger to the chutney when adding the mangoes.

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The chutney can be finished off with a light sprinkling of ground panch

phoron (Bengali 5-spice mix of equal amounts of methi seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, whole jeera and black onion/nigella seeds) or ground jeera alone or your favourite blend of garam masala. If using, sprinkle and gently mix in a couple of minutes before the chutney is done cooking.