Aam ki Launji (Sweet & Spicy Raw Mango Chutney)
Apr 05, 2018, Updated Apr 20, 2018
Sweet and spicy chutney made with raw mangoes! This chutney tastes great with paratha and is the perfect accompaniment to your Indian meals!
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Aam ki Launji is a sweet and spicy chutney made of raw green mangoes. It’s the perfect accompaniment to Indian meals and also tastes amazing with paratha!
Do you guys like to have your Indian meal with some chutney or pickle on the side? Ever since I can remember, we always had some or the other chutney on our table for lunch. And yes there was always pickle on the table too. My nani (grandmother) made the best red chili pickle and I was so obsessed with it as a child. I just requested mom to send it to my lunchbox everyday! She also made delicious mango pickle, lemon pickle and so much more which I can’t even remember now.
That habit of eating pickle and chutney has stayed with me and I still find my meals incomplete without a side of them. I don’t make the kind of achar (pickle) my nani used to make. It would take days and you have to let it sit in the sun for hours. First of all, I don’t have much patience and second sun is so rare in Seattle that its hard for me to think to that it would be possible to keep the pickle in sunlight for hours! Maybe, I will try one of the recipes this summer, at least sun is more frequent during those months.
What I do make on a regular basis though is chutney. All sorts of chutneys which are quick, easy and perfect accompaniment to my meals. I almost always have cilantro mint chutney in my refrigerator because its just so versatile. I eat it as such and also use it on wraps, sandwiches etc. Last week during my weekend grocery shopping, I came across raw mangoes at the Indian grocery store. I immediately picked them up and decided to use them to make a quick chutney. This sweet and spicy chutney is called aam ki launji and is quite popular in northern India. It’s made with pickling spices, sugar and some spices! If you love the combination of sweet and spicy like me, then you will love this chutney!
How to make Aam ki Launji
The process of making aam ki launji is pretty simple and straight forward. You slice the raw mango and then toss it with pickling spices. For the spices I used a mix of spices known as panch phoron. For those of you who don’t know, panch phoron is a spice mix popular in West Bengal (a state in Eastern India) and often used in curries, pickles, chutneys. It consists of 5 spices (panch=5) – fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, onion seeds and cumin seeds. You can find this spice mix at Indian grocery stores but in case you can’t simply use equal portion of each spice and make your own spice mix.
After you have tossed the mango with spices, you add some ground spices, sugar and salt and then let it all cook until the mangoes are soft. The amount of spice and sugar depends on personal taste. If you like spicy chutney, add more of red chili powder. If you prefer sweeter chutneys add more sugar. You might also need to add more sugar is your raw mangoes are really sour, so adjust accordingly. In case you don’t want to use sugar, you may also sweeten the chutney with jaggery.
Ever since I have made this aam ki launji, I have been having it with all my meals. And seriously it’s just amazing with paratha! So next time you get hold of some raw mangoes, do make this sweet and spicy mango chutney, I am sure you will love it just as much as we did.
Here’s another of my favorite sweet & spicy chutney to try – Sweet & Spicy Tomato Chutney.
Looking for more recipes with raw mangoes? Try this aam panna, a refreshing summer drink made with raw mangoes and spices.
Method
Wash and peel the mangoes and then slice them into long pieces. Set them aside.
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add panch phoron (the 5 spice mix) to it and let the seeds sizzle for few seconds.
Then add in the cut mango slices and toss to combine well with the seasoning.
Add in the turmeric powder, garam masala, red chili powder and salt.
Toss to combine until all the mango pieces are well coated with the masala. Cook for 1-2 minute.
Then add in the sugar and mix well.
Add water and mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and let it all cook for around 10 minutes on medium heat.
After 10 minutes, the mango pieces will be soft. At this point, increase the heat and let it all simmer for another minute or so until the chutney thickens slightly.
The chutney will thicken slightly, remove pan from heat and allow it to cool. The chutney will thicken more as it cools down.
Store aam ki launji in airtight container in your refrigerator.
Aam ki Launji
Ingredients
- 2 large raw mangoes around 900 grams, peeled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons panchporan or use equal amount of fennel, cumin, mustard, fenugreek and onions seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar +1-2 tablespoons as needed
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Wash and peel the mangoes and then slice them into long pieces. Set them aside.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add panch phoron (the 5 spice mix) to it and let the seeds sizzle for few seconds.
- Then add in the cut mango slices and toss to combine well with the seasoning.
- Add in the turmeric powder, garam masala, red chili powder and salt. Toss to combine until all the mango pieces are well coated with the masala. Cook for 1-2 minute.
- Then add in the sugar and mix well.
- Add water and mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and let it all cook for around 10 minutes on medium heat.
- After 10 minutes, the mango pieces will be soft. At this point, increase the heat and let it all simmer for another minute or so until the chutney thickens slightly.
- Remove pan from heat and allow it to cool. The chutney will thicken more as it cools down.
- Store aam ki launji in airtight container in your refrigerator. Serve as an accompaniment to Indian meals. Also tastes great with paratha.
Notes
- Adjust sweetness and spice levels in this chutney to taste. Use more sugar if you like sweet chutneys and more spice if you like spicy chutneys.
- You may use jaggery in place of sugar if you want.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Aam ki Launji
Is this good for weight loss
Chaman pandey
I don’t think so but I am not a nutritionist. Please consult one for your specific needs.
What stage of ripeness should the mangoes be? I have very ripe (read delicious) mangos that I cut up and froze at their peak of ripeness. Would these work for this recipe?
For this recipe you need unripe mangoes which are sour. Sweet ripe mangoes don’t work for this recipe. This recipe says it needs raw mangoes.
I am just preparing it…I had it in my childhood,my neighborhood aunty used to made it and send it to me as I liked it so much 😊. Luckily I have raw mangoes in by basket today.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’d eat this amazing and yummy mango chutney with paratha it looks so tasty and i love this yummy, delicious mango chutney..?
Hi Manali, how long does this Launji last when made with jaggery?
If you don’t add water then I would say 2 weeks, else 1 week in the fridge
Yes the recipe is good but one clarification is needed Garam masala, there are so many variations, and this is one spice mix which changes the originality and the profile of the dish. So please could you add a small sub recipe for the garam masala, so we could get the correct taste, color of the dish.
Kalonji is the correct spice,known as Nigelia seeds. Kalonji or Nigella seeds are not onion seeds.
Thank you very much.
You can use any garam masala that you like.. really garam masala is such a personal preference and everyone has their own way of making it. So use a garam masala that you like, it will turn out good. And I will post a recipe for homemade garam masala. Glad you like the recipe. Thanks!
Hey, Mr. D’Rosario, many people call kalonji /Nigella ” onion seeds” in the same way cilantro may be known as ” Chinese parsley “, while it is neither Chinese nor parsley. Please try to not be so critical…anyone cooking south Asian food already is aware that kalonji are not onion!
Oh my goodness, I’d eat this gorgeous mango chutney with a spoon it looks so good! Totally trying this one, Manali! 🙂
Thanks Sarah! Its really good!
Hi! Are nigella seeds an acceptable substitute for onion seeds? Or is there another substitute? Thanks!
yes totally acceptable!
I think I remember you saying (years ago?) that you’d buy boxes of mangoes at your local Sam’s Club or Costco. That’s a lot of mangoes! But I can see how you could go through them with recipes like this one. This chutney sounds awesome, and I know Laura would LOVE it!
haha yes that still happens David, every single year! I have 20 mangoes at my house at any given time and never go waste! lol..but these were raw ones and I found them at Indian grocery store..:)
I love sweet and spicy flavors and mango is a favorite of mine. This chutney sounds so delicious Manali!
Thank you Marcie!
Next time when I have some raw green mangoes, definitely give this a try. It looks so good!