Mango Tango Part Two

Okay ~ this is the part where I try to use pictures and text to walk neophytes through the basics of making a mango chutney.  (If you know what you're doing, you already have the recipe and the skills so I'll bet you're here just out of curiousity.) 

I also played with the ingredients according to my whims and tastes and I'll tell you about that as I go along.  If you're really nervous and want to stick the recipe the first time or so, you won't be led too far astray.  :)

Ready?
 

First, clean your kitchen ~ wash the counters, stove top, floors.  Just imagine what in shape it has to be in order not to have Gordon Ramsay look like he does in this picture should he happen to pop in.  (I saw this episode where he was reaming someone out for a filthy kitchen ~ I thought he was remarkably restrained myself.)  There's lots of info on the web about the basics of preserving, etc... so I won't bother repeating it all here ~ yet.  :)

Next get your ingredients together to make sure you have everything you need.  (Yes, I ground the spices by hand but you don't have to; I just get a kick out of doing stuff like that sometimes ~ I'm as likely as the next person to grab pre-ground spice.  Just make sure they haven't languished in the back of your cupboard since 1992 when you inherited them from someone you don't even remember. *g*)

Step 1: Peel and finely slice the mangoes.  I' ve seen instructions where they say to cut a slit around the mango and pull the sides away from the pit.  Riiiiight ~ I'm older, arthritic and these can be slippery suckers!  I pare 'em and cut the flesh away in slabs for cutting (and ummmm... tasting for quality control).  It doesn't hurt if some of the mangoes are just barely ripe ~ makes it a bit chunkier.  If someone doesn't have a handy-dandy scale to weigh it out, I find that it's a tad over 5 cups.

Step 2:  Put them into a bowl and sprinkle with the salt.  Likely I should have used a wider bowl and done a bit more sprinkling, but I sort of mixed it in and put them to one side.







Step 3:  Skin and slice the onion.  (Pretty easy, right?)

Step 4:  Bruise the ginger and tie in a cheesecloth bag.  (The first time I did this, I thought, 'Uh oh ~ the ginger is gonna go after the cooking.  But wait!  I *like* ginger!'  So I compromised and slivered half the ginger up to put into the chutney and packaged what was left in cheesecloth.)  I did two batches for this post ~ #1 had chopped ginger in it and #2 had the bruised and bagged ginger.  For the mildly curious, this is what 3 ounces of ginger kind of amounts to once peeled.

Does it look bruised enough for you?  Instructions like that usually bemuse me ~ was I supposed to just slap it around or give it a good smacking?  Shoving it under my dough scraper's blade and giving it a thump seemed the thing to do.

Step 5:  Wash and slice the limes.  For batch #1 I sliced 'em and for #2 I diced 'em ~ and it does make a difference.  Sometimes I like a lot of the flavour of lime and prefer the chunkier variety.







Step 6:  Wash, core and chop the apples.  The job is made a whole lot easier by having an apple slicer on hand.  They are not a rare and esoteric item to find and are awfully handy to have around apples.  :)  In batch #1 I found myself a little short in the 'tart green apple' department so threw in a couple of tasty red apples instead ~ a bit more colour too.  Prep the apples last so they don't have time to start going brown.

Get all your ingredients prepared and ready at hand as you go though the next steps.

Step 7:  Put half the vinegar into aluminum kettle with the sugar and stir over a medium heat until dissolved.  (The sugar, not the pot.  I don't have an aluminum pot ~ just my stainless steel stock pot ~ and I haven't found that it makes a difference.)  Bring to a boil and boil for 5-8 minutes to make a syrup.  (If your sinuses need clearing, lean over the boiling pot of vinegar and inhale.  :P)  In batch #1 I used white vinegar and in batch #2, apple cider vinegar.  I was eyeing the rice vinegar but thought it would be too sweet.

Step 8: Add vinegar, mangoes, spices and onions.  Simmer 10 minutes.  (No, making the syrup does not change the colour of the vinegar.  :) This picture is from the batch using the apple cider vinegar and brown sugar.  Notice that the ginger is all in the bag this time as well.)

Step 9:  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer 40-50 minutes until thick.  Do remember to stir it occasionally and make sure it doesn't scorch ~ don't want all that slicing, dicing and bruising to go to waste, eh?

Step 10:  Pack into hot, clean jars and cover with lids.  Don't forget to wipe the lip of the jar with a clean cloth or paper towel to make sure it's clean before putting the lid on to ensure a good seal.

Step 11:  Process in boiling water bath 30 - 45 minutes.

 





Step 12:  Let cool and check to make sure all lids have 'popped' in.










Now ~ go to the next post and see what you've done.  :)