The Easiest Kairi Khatti-Meethi Chutney

This recipe of kairi khatti-meethi chutney (sweet and sour raw mango chutney) is so elementary, even Watson wouldn’t need a Holmes to explain it to him. Or so I thought till a friend asked me what I had put in the amazing accompaniment I served with the meal.

Ginger? Lime? Some Far Eastern condiment you brought back from the travels?

It turns out that what we believe is too obvious for words may not be so.

Therefore I put on record my "recipe" of kairi khatti-meethi chutney. With only three ingredients, no oil or added flavorings, this is as simple as it gets.

You Need:

• Raw mango – 1 (200 grams)
• Salt – 1/4 teaspoon
• Sugar – 1 teaspoon

Adjust salt and sugar according to the tartness of the mango.

How To Make Kairi Khatti-Meethi Chutney:

Boil the raw mango to mashable consistency: [Indian pressure cooker method] Take half a cup of water in a pressure cooker. Place raw mango whole, with skin on, in the water. Lock the lid, pressure-cook on high heat till the cooker lets out a whistle.

Let the pressure cooker cool naturally to room temperature. Then unlock the lid.

Take the boiled raw mango out of the cooker, peel its skin and squeeze out all the pulp and juices. Discard the seed and peel. Thin out the mango pulp with a few tablespoons of water if needed.

While boiling, the mango might split open and ooze out its juices into the water. That’s fine – you can retain this water in the chutney.

Salt and sugar: Into the boiled raw mango pulp, mix salt and sugar to taste. The amount of salt and sugar to use will vary depending on the size and taste of the raw mango. When using a totapuri raw mango, I would got for a quarter teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of sugar.

The easiest kairi khatti-meethi chutney is ready.

Serve on the side with any Indian meal. Here’s a sample: chapatis with chhole, spinach raita, kairi khatti-meethi chutney.

Notes:

Game for more complex chutney recipes? How about these then: