Amba Chutney, Sri Lankan Mango Chutney
Sri Lankan mango chutney is built for keeping: a preserve of ripe fruit cooked down with vinegar and spice until it turns dark and glossy. Shop versions are mostly added sugar, but a good amount of dates does the sweetening here while the vinegar keeps it sharp and stable. Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom, and clove give it the warm backbone, and ground Kashmiri chile lends color with only a whisper of heat from the cayenne. Leaving some mango in chunks keeps it from being mere jam.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Frozen mango, thawed
- 6 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 1/3 cup Apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp Ginger, grated
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 piece Ceylon cinnamon, 2-inch shard
- 3 pods Green cardamom, cracked
- 3 Cloves
- 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chile, ground
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne
Method
- Chop half the mango into small dice and leave the other half in larger chunks. The diced fruit melts into the body of the chutney while the chunks hold their shape, giving you both a jammy base and pieces to bite.
- Put everything in a wide saucepan with 0.25 cup (60 ml) water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring so the dates start to break down.
- Cook uncovered at a low bubble for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is thick enough to leave a clear trail when you drag a spoon across the pan. The vinegar cooks off its harshness and the dates dissolve into a natural syrup, so no sugar is needed.
- Fish out the cinnamon shard, cardamom pods, and cloves. Whole spices give their aroma to the pot but are not pleasant to bite, so pull them before jarring.
- Cool completely, then pack into a clean jar. The chutney thickens further as it cools and its flavors marry overnight. It keeps three weeks in the fridge and belongs next to rice, lentils, or spread on flatbread.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 90 calories, 1 g protein, 2 g fiber, 5 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
