Mango Curry Leaf Chutney

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Chutneys add so much flavour to food. We don’t keep chutneys around here for too long as they get used up so quickly! In just about every meal, I start with making some chutney to accompany that dish. The favourite around here are mango chutneys! Here’s one with curry leaves. I find curry leaves has such a gentle, pleasant aroma. Don’t get it confused with curry which is a mixture of many different spices ground to a powder. Curry leaves clean the liver, but without heating it up. It is not uncommon for a spice or plant that cleans the liver to also create heat in the liver, like with turmeric, which is why in my practice we do not recommend turmeric capsules or curcumin supplement, or fasting as all these create heat in the liver. You never want to do anything that heats the liver up because the liver is a “pitta” organ with five agnis or flames as known in Ayurveda, and inherently contains a lot of heat. Each “flame” is responsible for processing each of the five elements of nature- space, air, fire, water, earth. Food contains the five elements of nature, and related to the six tastes. For example, a chilli pepper has more fire element than a zucchini which contains more water, earthy elements, and generally most fruits have earthy and water elements because they are sweet, but some with more water elements, like a watermelon, but other fruits have more fire and air, like oranges because of its sour taste.

It’s springtime right now, one of the best seasons to clean up the body- the other is in autumn. So adding some curry leaves to this chutney is a boon or go ahead and add curry leaves to soups and other dishes too! For a spring or fall detox to be a smooth experience, another reminder to avoid heating up your liver, but also it is very, very important you are keeping all the channels of elimination open, and naturally keeping your diet clean, and throughout the year too! By far alcohol and drugs are big liver heating culprits, also synthetic supplements, hydrogenated fats and deep fried food, all of which are all too common in our culture, in addition to lifestyle choices, like staying up late.

Please don’t get carried away with putting too many curry leaves in your dishes or chutney, especially if you are new to curry leaves, or any spice. Go easy, just cook with a few leaves to start, and enjoy the subtle aroma and flavour of curry leaves in your chutney or in any meal.

When you get fresh curry leaves at the supermarket like this one, they will come in bunches. Dry them in a shady spot, as suggested by my Ayurvedic teacher, on a cookie sheet lined with a tea towel. Store in a jar away from sunlight in a cool, dry place like you would any spice and it can keep fresh and aromatic for up to 6-9 months.

Mango Curry Leaf Chutney

Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 large mango
½ tsp olive oil or ghee
5-7 curry leaves, fresh or dried
½ tsp ground fennel
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp finely chopped ginger root
A few turns fresh ground pepper
A couple of pinches of turmeric
½ piece Thai Green chilli (optional)
½ cup spring water
Juice of ½ lime
Soma salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Prepare mango- cut the bottom of the mango, and discard because if you eat that flesh your tongue will be dry and itchy. Peel mango. Anchor mango on its bottom, and cut each broad side as close to the pit as possible. You will be left with the pit. Cut the thicker sides of the pit to get the remaining flesh. Cut into cubes and set aside. Instead of peeling the mango, you can also score the flesh into cubes and invert to remove the cubes, or spoon it out.
In a small pot, heat up ghee or olive oil on medium-low heat and add all the spices and crushed curry leaves. Combine all together until aroma is released, about a couple of minutes.
Add the mango cubes and spring water to the spices, and combine all together. Turn heat up to medium. When it starts to bubble up turn down heat to low. At this point you can add a bit more water.
Cover with a lid and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat.
Turn off stove, but leave it covered until you are ready to serve it. Stir in lime juice and soma salt before serving. Garnish with cilantro.

Best consumed fresh within a few hours, however, it can be refrigerated with a tight fitting lid for up to a week.