Kancha Aamer Chutney / Bengali Green Mango Chutney

Kancha Aamer Chutney or Green Mango Chutney is a must in summer. And since the heat waves in Kolkata now has no wish to slow down or stop or to let the temperature go down...we should really focus on light eating and foods that will keep us fresh and hydrated from inside.

Raw green mangoes are really refreshing at this time. Go for roasted green mango drink or aam pora sorbot, which is just the perfect welcome drink after coming home during the day time. You can also include Tok Dal in your lunch to keep matters at ease and simple, and if you have a sweet tooth then this Kancha Aamer Chutney is the perfect killer recipe for you.

Cut the mangoes and soak them in water.

Sprinkle some turmeric powder over them and rub well.

Heat oil and temper it with mustard seeds and dry red chillies.

Add the green mangoes to them.

Stir and cook the mangoes until they start to soften.

Add sugar and salt and mix them well.

Add water and simmer until a thick syrup like consistency is reached.

Finally add dry roasted and ground panch foron / bhaja mosla.

Mix well and simmer for another 2 minutes and then put off the flame.

It’s a must in every Bengali house during this time. Tomato Chutneys are kept aside for these 3-4 months...and we go crazy with green mangoes, and they find their way towards big jars labelled chutneys and pickles. I love it. I made this chutney after almost a year, because last year I really had a hard time finding green mangoes. But thank god...they are finally available...and that means more tok dal and chutneys for us in the coming weeks and months to come.

Kancha Aamer Chutney / Green Mango Chutney

Makes 400gm chutney

Ingredients:

2 large green mangoes

1 – 2 cups of white sugar – depending on your taste and the level of sourness of your mangoes

1 and ½ tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 dry red chillies

1 tsp panch foron / Bengali five spices – for dry roasting

 2-3 cups of water

1 tsp rock salt / kosher salt

2 tbsp mustard oil

Method:

Roughly chop the mangoes. Again you can either go ahead with the skin on our roughly peel them off. It’s your choice.

After chopping soak the pieces of mangoes in water for 15 minutes to get rid of its starches as far as possible.

Then drain the water and sprinkle the turmeric powder over the chopped and washed mangoes.

Heat the mustard oil in a kadai and temper it with mustard seeds and dry red chillies.

Once they start to crackle, add the green mangoes to them.

Sauté them on medium flame for 3-4 minutes or until the mangoes start to soften.

Then add the sugar and salt. Start with ½ cup and mix it well.

Follow up with 2 cups of water and give them a good stir to incorporate everything properly.

Carefully do a taste test and adjust sugar and salt accordingly.

Simmer the mangoes on low flame till it reaches a syrup like consistency and the mangoes are properly cooked.

Meanwhile dry roast the panch foron / Bengali five spices on low flame for 1 minute and then grind it to a fine powder. If you don’t have panch forn just dry roast some cumin seeds, coriander seeds, dry red chillies and black peppercorns. Grind them to a fine powder and keep aside.

When you feel the taste and the consistency of the chutney is just right (the chutney should not be too thick, it must be runny but sticky, more like honey of thinner consistency), sprinkle the bhaja mosla or the ground panch foron on the chutney, and mix them together.

Simmer for another 1 or 2 minutes and put off the flame.

Let the chutney come to room temperature before serving.