In Malaysia, besides cultivation in farms and plantations in the hotter northern region of Perlis and Kedah and down south in Negeri Sembilan and Malacca, mango trees are just grown in our own backyards. There are 10 known varieties of locally grown mangoes. Among the popular ones are mulgoa, harum manis, maha, apple mango, nam dok mai, chokannan and mun diew kaw . Because of its versatility, the mango can be eaten raw or prepared for meals, desserts, drinks and preserves. Raw mango dipped in thick soy sauce mixed with sugar and cili padi is a favourite of many locals while hot or mild mango chutney is eaten with relish accompanied by thosai or idli .
Chutneys are mixtures of fruits or vegetables, either fresh or cooked in a thick sauce.
They are sweet-tasting, thick and spicy. One person who learnt the art of making homemade chutney and pickles from recipes passed down by her late grandmother is Ranjit Sidhu. She cautioned me to use unripe mangoes as it had its own taste and would be more savoury, and to use oil instead of vinegar so that the pickles could be preserved. That is why I use half a teacup of oil to stirfry the pickles but for the chutney I only used the minimum required. Ranjit was 17 when she first began to learn how to make pickled mango.