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Jalea de mango
Green mango paste
Jalea de mango: thick green-mango paste with cinnamon for Holy Week
When the mango trees of Oriente are heavy in Lent, families in Sucre and Anzoátegui cook the hard green fruit with sugar and spice into jalea de mango, a thick tart-sweet paste set in a dish and cut into squares. It's eaten during Holy Week, often on a piece of crisp cassava bread. The mistake to avoid is skipping the sieve, which leaves stringy fibres. Chef's tip: use a long wooden spoon and keep your arm covered: the thick paste spits as it bubbles.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ lb green unripe mangoes
- 1 ⅛ lb sugar
- 4 cloves
- 8 ¼ cups waterfor boiling
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What you'll need
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Boil 3 ⅓ lb green unripe mangoes whole in 8 ¼ cups water for 25 minutes, until the skins split and the flesh is soft.
25 minStep 2: Drain and cool slightly, then peel and scrape the flesh off the stones. Push it through a sieve to remove the fibres.
15 minStep 3: Put the pulp in a heavy pan with 1 ⅛ lb sugar, 1 cinnamon stick and 4 cloves and cook over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 30–35 minutes, until it is thick, glossy and pulls away from the base.
35 minStep 4: Remove the spices, spread into a lightly oiled dish 2 cm deep and leave for 2–3 hours, until set. Cut into squares.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jalea de mango take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of green unripe mangoes?
- Tinned mango pulp, same weight.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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