Corom Chatni (Mango Chutney with Hot Chillies)

Ingredients

• 1 firm, almost-ripe mango
• 1 fresh red or green chilli pepper, stemmed, slit lengthwise, seeded and chopped (see note)
• 1 tsp cilantro or mint, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2–3 Tbsp fresh orange juice, or a mixture of orange and lime juice

Method

1. Place the mango on one side on a work surface and make a slit in the tip across its width with a sharp knife. Then, hold the mango upright on its stem end on the work surface, and carefully slice the flesh, with the skin attached, off one side of the stone, as close to it as possible. Turn it the other way and cut off the flesh from the other side of the stone.
2. Place each mango half, skin-side down, on the work surface, and cut lines through the flesh down to the skin in a lattice pattern so that you end up with a checker-board pattern with ½-inch squares.
3. Grasp the mango half with both your hands, skin down and your two thumbs on the flesh and your four fingers of each hand underneath on the skin. Now turn the skin inside out by pushing the skin inwards with your four fingers of each hand while pushing the two sides downward with your two thumbs.
4. You will now have the inverted skin of the mango with cubes of flesh attached—cut the cubes off with a sharp knife.
5. Place the mango cubes in a small bowl.
6. Add the chilli, cilantro, cayenne, orange/lime juice and salt and mix gently with a spoon.
7. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours before serving.