A spicy mango chutney…wait, what? Mango again?!? You must be wondering where my creativity has gone this summer. I mean there are so many other fruits in season this time of year. Yet, so far, I have served you grilled lobsters with a ginger mango salsa, a spicy mango salsa and a lime mint mango sorbet on the blog. On Instagram, I have also talked about our many mango varieties and whipped up a mean frozen mango juice. Let’s not even mention the endless mango article and silky smooth mango ice cream from previous years.
Now that’s a lot of mango for one blog! So why on earth am I serving them again?
Truth be told, I myself feel like mangos have become my signature this summer. But I am not about to apologize for that. It’s been a fun mango summer, if you ask me. There were so many mangos everywhere. At the street market, at the grocery store. Actually, I blame what looks like my new mango obsession on the grocery store. At every visit, there would be a mango stand staring at me. Its fruits were begging me to take them home. How could I say no? I simply couldn’t resist.
Plus, the more I bought them, the more they invited me to explore the culinary possibilities.
Up until this summer, as a Haitian, I mostly ate my mango as is. You know what that means right? In Haiti, we tend to either peel and slice our mango or suck the life out of them. We don’t necessarily include them in our cooking. Yet, as I have highlighted this summer, there are so many ways to eat this fruit. The possibilities are endless. I mean, just scroll back up to the list of mango recipes I have served you thus far. Don’t they make you wish you could eat mango all year long?
Unfortunately, summer is quickly coming to an end. This means that mangos will soon walk out of our lives. And, if I’m being honest, I must admit that I am worried about what my life will be like without them. It’s been such a fun mango summer. I wish it could last longer. Sadly, in just a few more weeks, it will all be over. Our lives will go back to normal. Mango trees will become just another shade provider for the next ten months or so. Just thinking about this is giving me serious mango withdrawals. This sad realization got me thinking. If only, I could make those fruits outlast summer.
This is where this mango chutney comes into play.
Now I must admit that, when I first prepared this mango chutney, preserving summer had not yet occurred to me. I only prepared it because I needed a topping for a cornbread pancake recipe I found in Erren’s Kitchen. But, after preparing and sampling it, I realized what it meant. I could make the mango season outlast summer. If you’re like me, I am sure you love that idea. Chutneys, jams, jellies and marmalades are a great way to outlast the many fruit seasons.
This, beloved readers, is the true reason why I am serving you yet another mango recipe on the blog. This mango chutney is my attempt to make this fruitful season and summer last a bit longer. Well, as long as I don’t eat it all up in just a few days, that is.
Spicy mango chutney with a hint of cayenne
Ingredients
- 1 baptiste mango or other firm mango
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2-3 star anise
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1 pinch of chili powder
- 1 pinch of ground pepper
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1-2 sweet spice leaves
- 1 lime zest
- ½ cup of water
Instructions
- Wash and peel the mango
- Cut it into thin slices
- Transfer to a thick bottom pot
- Add the sugar and sweet spices
- Cover with the water
- Bring to a boil
- Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture thickens up (about 45 minutes)
- Preserve in a tight jar and enjoy with crackers, crêpes, pancakes or waffles.
