Chundo is a sweet, spicy, and savoury green mango chutney. It is a gluten-free, vegan Indian relish that you can store for months. Here is an instant chunda recipe that is surely worth bookmarking.
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About Aam Chunda
Chunda is a popular Gujarati condiment made with raw mango (kairi), sugar, and spices. It is a cross between a chutney, jam, and a murabba. It is also known as chundo, keri no chundo, or aam ki meethi chutney.
The origin of this sweet and savoury mango chutney might have happened in the era when imported jams and spreads were a luxury item in India.
The traditional method of making an authentic chundo is a time and labour-intensive process.
I am sharing with you an instant chunda recipe that is surely worth bookmarking. This mango chundo is:
- vegan friendly
- gluten and nut-free
- easy to store and pack
- makes an excellent edible gift
- perfect for lunch boxes and travel meals
Ingredients Required
- Mango: Use unripe, raw, or green mango, also known as Kairi or kaccha aam or achaar ka aam in India. Discard the stone and skin. Use only the pulp.
- Sugar: I use granulated white sugar for making a variety of fruit relish and jam.
- Seasoning: Salt, Red Chili Powder, Cumin Powder, Turmeric
How To Make Chunda
Step 1) Wash and wipe dry the green mangoes (kachha aam). Peel off the skin. Grate the mango pulp using bigger holes of a manual grater or a food processor (image 1). Discard the stone.
Step 2) Combine sugar and grated mango in a bowl (images 2 & 3). Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. The sugar will dissolve and the fruit will release its juices (image 4).
Step 3) Transfer the grated mango along with the syrup to a heavy-duty pan. Turn on the heat. Start cooking the chunda.
Step 4) Let the mango chutney cook over low flame till all the liquid is evaporated and the mango is cooked through. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
Step 5) At this stage, sugar is nicely melted and the chutney has a glass-like sheen. Add salt and spices. Stir to combine and cook the mango chutney for 2 – 3 minutes more.
Tasting the Mango Chutney in between is the right way to check for doneness. Once cooked as per your preference, turn off the heat.
The whole cooking process takes less than 30 minutes.
Let the chunda cool completely before storing.
Serving Suggestion
A large batch of aam chunda sealed in the glass jars, safely secured, to be relished till the next season of green mangoes, was always the highlight of my mother’s kitchen and my school lunchbox.
In between the drowsy lectures at school, sweet mango chutney was the only hope that used to keep us chirpy till recess time. The simple triangle paratha packed in the lunch box tasted best with her aam chundo.
Serve sweet mango chutney with warm, methi paratha or piping hot puri for a gratifying Indian breakfast. It tastes excellent even on a bread toast as well.
My Tried and True Tips
- For a luscious, fibrous texture, while grating, try to get the long shreds of green mango. I prefer using the bigger holes of the grater for the purpose.
- DO NOT COOK chundo for too long. The sugar will start forming crystals resulting in hard and chewy chutney.
- Two Thread Consistency Test. Cook until the chutney reaches a two-thread consistency i.e. when pressed two threads are formed (and do not break) when your forefinger and your thumb are pulled apart gently. The chutney should be sticky, with a melt-in-mouth texture.
- Store chunda in a clean, sterilized jar and store it in the refrigerator. You can store it at room temperature as well in cold climatic regions. But make sure to use a clean and dry spoon every time to scoop out the chunda.
- Additional spices like a pinch of asafoetida, garam masala, rock salt, black salt, or a dash of coriander powder.
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Instant Chunda Recipe
- Grater
- Kadhai
Ingredients
- 4 green mangoes (kachhi kairi)
- 1 Cup granulated white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
Instructions
- To prepare the chunda, first, wash and wipe dry the raw mangoes. Peel off the skin, grate the mangoes from bigger holes of the grater and discard the stone inside the mango.
- Combine sugar and grated mango in a bowl. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. The sugar will dissolve and the fruit will release its juices.
- Transfer the grated mango along with the syrup to a heavy-duty pan. Turn on the heat. Start cooking the chunda.
- Let the Mango Chutney simmer on low flame until all the water has dried up, the sugar is nicely melted and the grated mango has glass like sheen. This usually takes less than 20 minutes or so depending upon the quantity of chutney. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
- Tasting the Mango Chutney in between is the right way to check for doneness. Once cooked as per your preference, add salt and spices. Stir to combine and cook the mango chutney for 2 – 3 minutes more.
- Let the chunda cool completely at room temperature before storing.
- Transfer chunda to a clean and dry jar. Store it in the refrigerator.
- Serve chunda with poori or methi paratha.
Recipe Notes:
- Always use the bigger whole of the manual grater to grate the mangoes.
- Make sure not to add any water while cooking the chutney.
- Adjust the amount of sugar and spices according to the taste of mangoes. If they are sourer then increase the quantity of sugar.
- Allow the chutney to cool down completely before storing it.
- Store the chutney in a clean and dry jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- You can store it at room temperature for a week and in the refrigerator for a year.
Antonet Roajer says
Mouthwatering Dish!!
pragati says
Love Chunda but our recipe is totally different. I think it is called vagharo chundo..uses whole spices and is cooked.
Hina Gujral says
Pragati will definitely love to try the other version of this dish.
swathi says
sweet mango chutney looks delicious, inorder to add you to pinterest board you need to follow me.
Hina Gujral says
Thanks Swathi 🙂 connected on Pinterest now.
Sajel says
You have rightly called it Instant Chunda. The real chunda is very different.
Hina Gujral says
Yes, during my research I discovered that the one we make is an instant chunda and not the sun-dried traditional one.
manish says
Looks easy and tasty. Can I store it?
Hina Gujral says
Yes, you can store it for a year in the refrigerator.
Shruthi says
Oh so amazing!! I can’t wait to try this
Hina Gujral says
Glad you like it!