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Dessert

Mango Chutney

A chutney made from green mangoes, vinegar, almonds, currants, ginger, garlic, sea salt, brown sugar, raisins, and chili pepper.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Almond and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓

Mango Chutney

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Chop all ingredients finely except for raisins and currants.

  2. Combine all ingredients in a large pot.

Cook and bottle

  1. Cook over low heat for 4 hours, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

  2. Transfer the chutney into bottles and seal.

Rest

  1. For best flavor, mix and let stand overnight before cooking.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Almond + raisintop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,781 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

  2. Mango + gingertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together280 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).

  3. Ginger + garlictop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,402 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Currant + raisintop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together6,180 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).

  5. Ginger + raisintop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,242 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Green mangoes
Forms the chutney's bulk and tart fruit body as it cooks down.
Vinegar
Adds sharp acidity that balances the sweetness and keeps the chutney tangy.
Brown sugar
Provides sweetness and, as it cooks down, a thick, glossy body.
Raisins
Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness as they soften in the pot.
Green ginger
Adds a sharp, warm aroma and a spicy bite.
Yellow chili pepper
Adds heat and pungency to the sweet, tart base.

The step that matters

Cook over low heat, stirring often. Sugars in the brown sugar and fruit can scorch on the bottom of the pot during a long cook. Low heat and frequent stirring prevent burning while the mixture thickens.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mango, vinegar, almond, ginger, garlic, sugar, raisin):

  1. Limefits better
  2. Cherryfits better
  3. Coconutfits better
  4. Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against mango, vinegar, almond, ginger, garlic, sugar, raisin. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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