kuchela

Mango Kuchela… as young fella on the islands I had NO love for this spicy pickle / condiment. However, it’s now one of my go-to sides when I have curry dishes, soups and Pelau, as an adult. My new found love probably got something to do with the fact that getting good green mangoes to make it in Canada is not as easy as when our home was surrounding by mango trees in the Ccaribbean.

You’ll Need…

6-8 green mangoes (depending on how large they are)
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
1 1/2 cups veg oil
6-8 cloves garlic
as much hot peppers as you can handle
2-3 tablespoon cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoon Anchar Massala

Note! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements. I used 3 Habanero peppers, but you can use any variety hot pepper you have on hand as as much as you can handle. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers.

Wash, peel (use a pairing knife or potato peeler) and grate the mango – be mindful of the seeds as you grate . A box grater works best.

Then using a cheese cloth (or dish towel), wrap and twist (wring) the mango to remove the natural liquid of the mango. The goal is to make it
as dry as we can, so later on it will absorb all the flavors we’ll be adding.

Set on paper-towel lined baking trays and allow to air dry at least 4 hours – I went overnight. Traditionally this is placed in the direct sun in the Caribbean. The paper towels will also help to absorb some of the natural liquid.

Pour the anchar masala onto the dried grated mango (large bowl), along with the salt and brown sugar (sugar is not traditional to the recipe, but it helps IMHO) and mix WELL!

You can source the Anchar Masala at most Caribbean grocers and lately I’m seeing it in the spice section of bigger Asian markets. Puree your garlic, cilantro and peppers. The cilantro I added is not traditional to the recipe – Shado beni is used (sometimes) instead. If you don’t have a blender, you can chop everything finely.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot on a medium heat and as it comes up to temperature add the pepper/garlic mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes. The goal is to flavor the oil with the garlic and give it a kick with the pepper (I used the seeds of the peppers as well).

Then go in with the mango and stir well. Yes, we used a lot of oil, but you’ll notice how it will be absorbed by the dried mango. The goal at the end is to use the oil as a preservative… so it keeps the finished kuchela fresh and not develop any mold etc.

Cook it for about 10 minutes, then into a glass jar. Be sure to stir it well, so all the flavors combine.

NOTE! Certain mango varieties makes better Kuchela (I know my mom prefers Starch Mango and my grandmother’s fav was Long Mango) but I used whats available to me. Just make sure they are GREEN and TART!

Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Apple Kuchela Recipe.

May 28, 2025March 30, 20155 Comments

Kuchela is one of those spicy condiments traditionally made with green mangoes and a must-have topping for ‘doubles’, saheena and pholourie (street food in Trinidad and Tobago). Being that I call Canada home and green mango is not something I can go in my back yard and pick off the trees as I did for my mom when I was a young fella on the islands, Granny Smith apples are my new choice. Though sweet, the slight tartness and sturdy texture of these green apples makes an ideal kuchela when you can’t source mangoes.

You’ll Need…

5 green apples (Granny Smith)
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic
3-4 tablespoons amchar masala
3/4 cup veg oil
2 scotch bonnet peppers

Notes: You can purchase the amchar masala at most West Indian markets and there are times you can get it on Amazon.com. Grate with the skin on for additional texture, but be sure to get apples which are not covered in wax as they are sometimes.

Please remember to wear gloves and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling scotch bonnet peppers. Dice the peppers finely, including the seeds for more heat. You have the option of dicing or crushing the garlic. Then using the sort of shred side of your grater, grate the apples until the core.

You now have two option, you can squeeze off all the liquid from the grated apples, but if you want a more saucy kuchela you can remove about half the liquid. It may take a bit of work to squeeze off the liquid with your hands, or you can use a towel and wring the liquid out.

When making traditional mango kuchela, we try to get all the moisture out of the grated mango and it’s then spread onto a kitchen towel and placed in the open sun for a couple hrs to dry off. This process makes it easy to infuse the grated mango with the Kuchela flavors. In this recipe we’ll cook everything on the stove top for a few minutes to replicate that sort of infusion we need for this to be a great kuchela.

In a wide saucepan on a LOW heat, heat the vegetable oil, then go in with the diced pepper and garlic. Let that gently cook for about 3-5 minutes. Be sure to turn the fan above your stove on or at least open your kitchen windows. The cooked peppers will give off a strong (choking) scent.

Now add the amchar masala, cook for a minute, then add the grated apple and salt. Mix well, cook for 2-3 minutes and you’re done!

Traditionalists will be able to identify the natural sweetness of the apples, but I assure you that this apple kuchela is just as exciting as any I’ve had on the islands and that sweetness adds a lovely overall roundness to the kuchela as it ages for a few days. You can store these in sterilized glass containers on your kitchen counter for a couple weeks, then store in the fridge.

Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Picante Mango Kuchela.

May 28, 2025May 17, 201215 Comments

My first memory of mango kuchela goes way back to my childhood, when I first had kuchela flavored with mustard oil, along with dhal, rice and fry dry (small herrings or sardines fried very dry until crispy). The memory of that mustard oil clearing my sinus still haunts me and to this day.. I’m still to try anything with mustard oil after that experience. This is the reason why in this mango kuchela there’s no use of mustard oil as in some traditional recipes.

This mango kuchela is one of those spicy condiments you’d get served on popular street food, such as doubles and aloo pies (deep fried dough stuffed with seasoned mashed potato) and versatile enough to accompany many curry dishes at dinner.

You’ll Need…

3 green mangoes
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoon amchar massala
3/4 cup veg oil
2 scotch bonnet peppers

Notes: Try to get really green mango (skin and flesh), which will be very sour or tart. I stared with 3/4 cup of oil, but you may need about 1/2 cup more as it’s important that the entire jar (when storing) of the kuchela is covered with the oil. The oil can be used to drizzle onto food as well, as it will be well flavored. The 2 scotch bonnet peppers are used as a starting point, so feel free to add more as you’d like. The same can be said about the amchar massala…so add more if you want your finished mango kuchela to be darker and packed with more flavor.

The first thing we need to do is peel and wash the mangoes. Use a potato peeler or sharp paring knife and remove the outer skin off the mangoes. Don’t go too deep or you’ll be wasting the mango! When shopping for the green mangoes, be sure to get ones that’s firm (hard), no blemishes and if you were to knock them against something, they should give a solid sound (like a rock).

Next up, get your box grater and with some care, grate the mangoes. Remember there’s a seed in the middle of the mango, so be prepared when you get close to it. Discard this seed.

The grated mango will have a lot of moisture in it, so we’ll have to get rid of as much as we can. That moisture (what I was told) is what causes the mango kuchela to go bad fast, so we have to remove as much as we can. Using one of Caron’s new kitchen towels, I placed a heap of the grated mango in the center.. then used some elbow grease to squeeze out as much liquid as I could (see video below).

I recall as a kid my mom and grandma always having a galvanize (metal sheet) when mango was in season, covered with grated mango in the sun drying. It had that sort of musty scent, you’d also get when they were making mango amchar. Now it’s time to spread the grated mango onto a cookie sheet and allow to air dry for a few hours. If you’re blessed with Caribbean sunshine, make use of it and place it out in the sun. WARNING! Don’t place in the oven on low heat as I thought would be clever. The end result is parched mango, which will not work for this.

The next step (as the mango air-dries) is to puree the pepper and garlic. I used the entire pepper.. including the dreaded seeds, as I wanted the raw heat in this mango kuchela. I used my magic bullet, but you’re cool using a blender or a mortar and pestle. I know it may be hard, but try not to use any liquid in the blending process (puree). I ended up shaking my magic bullet a few times during the process to move the contents around. BTW, I gave the garlic and scotch bonnet peppers (feel free to use any hot pepper you have or like) a rough chop to make it easier to puree.

After about 3 hrs (overnight may be best) of air drying the grated mango should be ready now. So the next step is to place a sauce pan on medium/low heat, add the vegetable oil (don’t allow it to heat yet) and add the pureed pepper and garlic mix to it. If you add the puree to hot oil, it will splatter and give of a very strong (peppery) scent. Now allow the oil/pepper mixture to heat up and on medium/low heat, allow to cook for about 5 minutes.

Empty the dried grated mango into a bowl, then add the salt and amchar massala and give it a good stir. With the peppered oil mixture cooled, add that as well. Make sure to mix the entire batch of mango kuchela well.

Place in a dry bottle or container and it will keep for a few weeks. Additionally you can store this in the fridge for a couple months at least. When stored in the fridge be prepared for it to loose some of it’s heat. If storing on your kitchen cupboard, ensure that the mango is covered with oil. To add more oil.. heat (on high) vegetable oil, then allow to cool completely.. then add to the jar to cover the mango kuchela.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Spicy Mango Kuchela.

Apple Kuchela Recipe.

Picante Mango Kuchela.

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