Rhonda’s Spicy Mango Chutney

What is Spicy Mango Chutney?

If you’re looking to add an extra punch of flavour to your meals, this spicy mango chutney is a perfect choice for you! Packed with juicy mangoes, hot chillies, and a balanced mix of sweet and tangy ingredients, it creates a rich, sticky condiment that pairs well with curries, sandwiches, and a variety of meats and cheeses.

Rhonda's is a traditional-style chutney that combines fruits, vinegar, sugar, and spices to create a bold and versatile condiment. The slow cooking of the mangoes and apples intensify the flavour of the fruits while the vinegar & sugars reduce and create a thick, glossy sauce base. Dried fruits like raisins and dates add natural sweetness and depth while the ginger, onion and salt bring it all together with a nice warmth and savoury balance.

Preview of the Spicy Mango Chutney in multiple jars

Ingredients

Ripe Turpentine Mangoes: These type of mangoes are firmer and have a higher fibre content. They should be added just before you finish cooking to add vibrant colour and texture to your chutney.
Ripe Eating Mangoes: These are a much softer & sweeter mango. They are added at the beginning of the cooking process so that they break down into the sauce and intensify the mango's sweetness.
Raisins: Adds more natural sweetness ontop of the fruits and added sugars. Provides a greater thickness to the sauce as it breaks down.
Pitted Dates: Provides a nutty, caramel-like sweetness to the dish. Similar to the raisins, the dates thicken the chutney as it breaks down.
Ginger: Cuts through the immense sweetness and richness of the chutney by providing a warm, pungent and slightly spicy flavour.
Birds Eye Chillis: Main source of the spiciness of this dish. Compliments the sweetness of the chutney by providing an intense heat. Keeping the seeds in the chutney increases the overall spiciness and provides a crunchy texture.
Long Red Chillis: Adds a more milder heat to the chutney. They should be added just before the chutney is finished to add greater colour and aroma.
Granny Smith Apples: Add tartness to the dish that balances out the sweetness from the mangoes and added sugar. These kind of apples are high in pectin, which will help thicken the chutney.
Brown Onion: Adds a savoury/umami depth to the chutney. Provides more body to the dish and prevents it from tasting like spicy jam.
White Vinegar: Provides a great level of acidity to balance out the sweetness from the many fruits in the chutney. This acidity will also help preserve the chutney, preventing mould & bacterial growth and increasing its overall shelf-life so you can enjoy the chutney even longer.
Malt Vinegar: Similar to the white vinegar, the malt vinegar adds a greater depth of acidity that pairs well with the fruit of this chutney. Rather than the pure acidity of white vinegar, malt vinegar provides a more robust flavour profile that is milder, sweeter, and nutty.
White Sugar: Provides a straightforward punch of sweetness. Balances out the acidity from the vinegars and the heat from the chillis.
Brown Sugar: The added molasses of the brown sugar introduces a deep, rich and caramelized sweetness to the chutney.
Salt to Taste: Enhances all flavours (spicy, sweet and sour). This ingredient is essential for overall flavour clarity

Method

Add all the ingredients except the mangoes into a large pot. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for approximately 20-30 minutes to soften the apples. Stir occasionally to make sure all the sugar has dissolved.
Add 2 kg only of the ripe chopped mangoes and simmer on low heat with the lid off from now on as you need some of the liquid to evaporate to help the chutney get thicker, stirring approximately every 5 minutes to prevent it from catching at the bottom of the boiler, until thickened. This should take about a further 1 hour perhaps a little longer depending on the type of stove you are using.

Be patient and stir regularly.The chutney must be cooked slowly to prevent burning the added sugars and fruit.
Add the last ½ kg of just ripe Bowen or KP mangoes and the 6 sliced long red chillies and cook for a further 30 minutes on low heat, stirring regularly to prevent sticking.

Add salt to taste.
Make sure the last of the mangoes added are fully cooked before bottling, otherwise you may experience fermentation and growth on top of the chutney when opening a jar later.

Bottle immediately and put tops on the jars while the chutney is still hot, making sure that some of the long chillies and still yellow mango cubes show on the outside of the jar for decorative presentation.

Notes

Turpentine, or any stringy variety of mango. If you can’t get Turpentine mangoes, it is ok to use Bowen or KP (Kensington Pride) mangoes but it’s a better chutney if you have a few stringy mangoes in the chutney as it holds together much better and isn’t so runny.
Kensington Pride or Bowen mangoes To be added to cooking half an hour before you finish the cooking. This is a presentation trick for the cooking competitions, so that squares of light coloured mango can be clearly seen in the darker coloured chutney. They must be cooked for at least 30 minutes to ensure they are fully cooked and don’t cause fermentation when bottled.
Do not use brown vinegar as it has too much acidity.
Peeled and grated fresh ginger, if not available, bottled crushed ginger is acceptable.
To be placed in the cooking chutney 30 minutes before finished cooking. When bottling, the chillies should eb pushed to the outside of the jar for presentation.
Don’t use dark brown sugar as it makes the colour of the chutney too dark and it doesn’t look as appetizing.
Don’t use too much salt as the flavour of the chutney gets smoother with maturity.

Storage Notes

Can be kept for up to 12 months unrefrigerated.
Once opened, refrigerate and use within 14 days.
The chutney gets more mellow with age and it will lose some of it’s heat.
Be sure to label your finished chutney with the date of manufacture.
Ensure the jars are thoroughly washed and dried before bottling.

Spicy Mango Chutney

Finished chutney placed into a jar for storage.

A bold, sweet-and-spicy mango chutney loaded with juicy fruit, warming ginger, and a kick of chilli. Perfect for adding a punch of flavour to just about anything!

Made by: Rhonda

Prep Time:30 minutes | Cook Time:1.5 hours | Total Time:2 hours

Yield:~10 375g jars

Ingredients

500g ripe Turpentine mangoes, cut into 1cm cubes
2 Kg of ripe eating mangoes, cut into 1cm cubes
350 ml White vinegar
350 ml Malt vinegar
250g raisins, roughly chopped
125g pitted dates, roughly chopped
65g ginger, grated
¼ cup birds eye chilli with seeds in, chopped
6 Long red chillies, sliced lengthwise with seeds removed
250g Granny Smith apples, cut into 1cm cubes
250g brown onion, roughly chopped
375g White sugar
375g Brown sugar
Salt to taste

Method

Add all the ingredients except the mangoes into a large pot and simmer for 20-30 minutes to soften the apples. Stir occasionally to ensure sugar has dissolved.
Add 2 kg of only the ripe chopped mangoes and simmer on low heat with the lid off for 1 hour. Stir every 5 minutes until thickened.The chutney must be regularly stirred to prevent sticking at the bottom of the pot.
Add the last 500g of Turpentine and the sliced red chillies and cook for a further 30 minutes on low heat, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Add salt to taste.
Ensure all the mangoes are fully cooked before bottling, otherwise you may experience fermentation and growth on top of the chutney when opening a jar later. Bottle the chutney immediately and cover while the chutney is still hot.

For decorative purposes, make sure that some of the chillies and mango cubes show on the outside of the jar.

Notes

If you can’t get Turpentine mangoes, substitute with Bowen or KP (Kensington Pride) mangoes. Any type of mangoes work but the chutney will be better if you have stringy mangoes as it holds together much better and isn’t so runny.
If using KP or Bowen mangoes. They should be added 30 minutes before you finish the cooking. This is a presentation trick so that squares of light coloured mango can be clearly seen in the darker coloured chutney. They must be cooked for at least 30 minutes to ensure they are fully cooked and don’t cause fermentation when bottled.
Do not use brown vinegar as it has too much acidity.
Bottled crushed ginger is acceptable if freshly grated ginger is not available.
Don’t use dark brown sugar as it will make the chutney colour too dark and less appetizing.
Don’t use too much salt as the flavour of the chutney gets smoother with maturity.
Can be kept for up to 12 months unrefrigerated.
Once opened, refrigerate and use within 14 days.
The chutney gets more mellow with age and it will lose some of it’s heat.
Be sure to label your finished chutney with the date of manufacture.
Ensure the jars are thoroughly washed and dried before bottling.

COOKING WITH GLENN