no way A cleverly curated pantry is a home cook’s best friend, packing the power to take your daily meals in countless different directions with just the twist of a lid. The simple truth is that you all really All you need to make delicious meals at home are capsules filled with delicious pantry ingredients. For me, this includes everyday staples like toasted sesame oil, dark maple syrup, and peanut butter, as well as bold flavor enhancers like tamarind, pecorino romano, and red pepper paste. Another ingredient I use repeatedly is mango chutney. Mango chutney was a beloved staple on the Punjabi table when I was a child growing up in Leicester. Today, I use it in an endless variety of ways to enliven everything I cook, capitalizing on its characteristics as a sticky, sour, vibrantly tropical, gorgeously spicy, sweet and mild flavor hero. This recipe shows you a few ways you can use mango chutney or the ingredients you have in your carefully stocked pantry when you have some creative fun and are free to play with the ingredients.
Mango Chicken Schnitzel with Peas Crushed with Lime Leaves (top photo)
Schnitzel and soft peas both have that nostalgic 1970s Fanny Cradock and Wimpy diner charm that I’m always drawn to. It’s also crying out for the addition of pineapple rings, piped green mashed potatoes, and a bottle of silver parsley sauce on the side. A flavor-boosting take on this culinary artifact, this dish uses mango chutney to give chicken a tropical pizzazz and lime leaves to give peas a Southeast Asian flavor.
prep 10 minutes
marinade 30 minutes or more
cook 20 minutes
serve 2
For schnitzel
5 tablespoons mango chutneyWhat else to offer
3 fat cloves of garlicpeeled
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
good sea salt pepper
2 boneless chicken breasts and 2 skinless chicken breasts (2x250g)
cornflourFor dredging
1 large eggwhack
60g Panko Bread Crumbs
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
sunflower oil or vegetable oilFor frying
lemon wedgesserve
For peas
400 g frozen peas
12 to 14 fresh makrut lime leaves
About 30 fresh mint leaves
Juice and finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
20g butter
a drop of olive oilFor frying
2 spring onionTrim and chop finely.
In a small blender, whisk together the chutney, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, 1 teaspoon each salt, and ground pepper.
Place one chicken breast between two sheets of baking paper, then gently flatten with a rolling pin to form a 3-4mm thick steak. However, if you hit it too hard, the meat may tear. Repeat on the other breast. Place the flat breasts in a large bowl, cover with the mango chutney paste and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the peas in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then drain and set aside. In a small blender, blend lime leaves, mint, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon zest until a very fine paste forms.
Melt the butter and oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the green paste and fry for 2 minutes while stirring. Add spring onions and cook for 1 minute, then add peas and 1 teaspoon salt and cook for 1 more minute. Mash the pea mix with a potato masher until coarse and chunky (or blend into a puree) and keep warm while cooking the chicken.
Place the cornmeal in one large bowl, the eggs in another bowl, and the breadcrumbs, nigella seeds, and sesame seeds in a third bowl. Dip one schnitzel in the cornmeal, turning it over to coat it all over and letting it sit for 30 seconds, then dredging it again to completely cover it. Shake off any excess cornmeal, dip into egg, then into breadcrumb mix, coating well. Repeat with second schnitzel.
Heat 2cm of oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat (if you have a probe, you’ll want it to reach 165C). Fry the schnitzels, one at a time, turning occasionally, until crispy and golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes.
Serve with crushed peas, lemon wedges and extra mango chutney on the side.
Balinese Mango Pork Crispy Roll
A few years ago, after a week of yoga, juicing and listening to songs at a Balinese jungle retreat in Ubud, I decided to cancel all “wellness” by booking Slow in Canggu. With beautiful boho interiors, a dream tropical cocktail list, and a Balinese-inspired cross-cultural menu that reads like poetry, this is without a doubt one of the chicest, most stylish and cosmopolitan places I’ve stayed. These spicy pork crispy rolls are inspired by my stay there, with mango chutney, lemongrass, fish sauce, peanuts and lime adding an acrobatic flavor to your palate. Forget yoga. Cooking these is my meditation.
prep 15 minutes
cook 45 minutes
makes 10 large rolls or 20 mini rolls
8 makrut lime leavesstem removed
Lemongrass 20gRoughly chop
10g handle of fresh gingerRoughly chop
6 cloves of garlicpeeled
1 tablespoon fish sauce
20g roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon red pepper powder
3 tablespoons vegetable oilAnd additional cost for tooth brushing.
1 large red onionPeel and finely chop.
500g minced pork (minimum 5% fat)
100g mango chutney
Juice and finely grated zest of 2 limes
good sea salt
10 sheets of filo pastry
nigella seedsfinish
In a blender, blend lime leaves, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, peanuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili flakes and a little water until you have a very fine paste.
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and sauté the onions for 5 to 6 minutes until soft. Add the pork and fry, stirring, until most of the moisture has evaporated and the meat begins to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the lime leaf paste and cook for 3 minutes, then add the chutney and cook for another 3 minutes.
Mix lime juice, 1 teaspoon lime zest, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas. 7. Lay the phyllo sheet on the board and cut it in half. Spread 2 tablespoons of the cooled mince mix in a thick line on one side of the half sheet, then fold the sides over and roll into a cigar shape. Seal the joints with oil and place them seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Brush the top generously with oil and sprinkle with nigella seeds.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until crispy on the outside and hot in the center, then serve with drinks or as an appetizer with dip or chili sauce.
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This recipe is an edited extract from Gurdeep Loyal’s Flavor Heroes: 15 Modern Pantry Ingredients to Amplify Your Cooking, published last week by Quadrille for £27. To order a copy for £24.30, go to guardianbookshop.com.