I come from Gujju-land and yet I have a few acquired tastes for authentic Gujarati foods. The one thing that took me forever to get accustomed to was raw mango. I never understood what the big deal was – save for the occasional pickle with aloo paratha, which again is not Gujarati. But yesterday, a stroll around the groceries (yes, I go there for fun!), I saw them and felt I had to use them.
Our Gujarati cookbooks offer a variety of delectable recipes, each one more unique than the other. Today, I’m rebelling a slight bit away from the traditional (because it’s what I do best) with a more westernised flavouring, and ingredients that are easily available in our generation’s kitchen – because I’m very practical.
And I pair this Indian concoction with a very salty Amul cheese, lettuce, onions and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil – as an effort to recreate a gorgeous sandwich I was addicted to in my days in Boston at a dessert bar called Finale.
This is simplicity at it’s best, with limited ingredients, which allows the chutney to take centre stage and let the flavours work it’s magic.
The Recipe
Serves
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw mango, finely diced or grated
- 2 tsp Ginger, grated
- 1/4 cup Onions
- 2 tsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Red chilli flakes
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- For sandwich:
- 4 Bread slices
- 4 pieces Lettuce
- 1/2 cup Amul cheese, grated
- 6 Sliced onions
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a non-stick small pot. Then add the mustard seeds.
- Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add ginger, onions, turmeric, and bay leaf.
- Sauté them for around 5 minutes.
- Then add the diced mangos, red chilli flakes, sugar and salt.
- Sauté for another 5 minutes, or until the mangos are well coated with the seasonings.
- Then add the water and apple cider vinegar and let the chutney simmer in the liquid for another 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and gently squish down with the back of fork.
- Let the chutney cool completely before using.
- Layer a generous spread of the mango chutney on one slice of bread. Pile it up with lettuce cheese and onions. Drizzle a good amount of extra virgin olive oil.
- Fasten with the other slice of bread.
- Slice into half, enjoy!
