Mango Mania in India

MANGO MANIA

Mangoes in Hyderabad May 2012

The mango season has well and truly arrived again here in Hyderabad - and indeed across India - and, despite dire predictions of a shortage of crop due to rain damage earlier in the year, the markets are brimming with mangoes of all shapes and sizes ... Alphonsos, Banganpallis, Malgovas, Dussehris and Raspuris to name just  a few varieties of what is known as the "king of fruits".

There are some 500 commercial varieties of mangoes around the world and India is the largest producer ... growing more than 11 million tonnes of mangoes annually and supplying more than 50% of the world crop.   The state of Andhra Pradesh - of which Hyderabad is the capital - is one of the centres of mango production in India ... producing the highest yield per acre in the country.

Mangoes in India are used in a myriad of different recipes - in curries and pulaos, chutneys and pickles, combined with seafood, chicken and other meats, in cakes and traditional Indian desserts, mixed into cocktails and other non-alcoholic drinks.   Some are cooked when they are still green and unripe and some are used when they have developed that familiar golden hue.

Health freaks will rave on about how the fruit is high in Vitamin C and beta-carotene but the main attraction of the mango is just the spectular burst of flavour that you get when eating them!

Here are a few of my favourite recipes that I have been cooking over the past few weeks:

Stephanie Alexander's Mango Salsa

The cook, writer and restaurateur Stephanie Alexander is regarded as something of a national treasure in Australia and her most well known book, "The Cook's Companion" - a 1200 page scholarly compendium of ingredients and recipes for the Australian kitchen - has been in print for the past 20 odd years and regularly rates as the one of the best cookbooks in Australia.

I was lucky enough to meet her in her house in Melbourne some years ago when I was filming a profile on Kylie Kwong, the Chinese Australian chef now made famous across Asia through her cooking shows on cable television.   Stephanie has been a mentor to Kylie throughout her career and has influenced many other younger generation chefs over the years.

Here is her wonderfully tasting Mango Salsa recipe thats simply bursting with flavours ... it goes with just about any main course meal ... especially chicken and seafood dishes.

Ingredients:

1 mango, peeled and diced    5 slices of red onion or 2 shallots, minced    1 red or green chilli, finely chopped    1/4 C fresh mint leaves, chopped    2 T lime juice    1 t sugar   

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and allow to stand in fridge  for severalhours before using.   Great with seafood or poultry. 

Desert Candy's Mango Salad

This simple recipe comes from one of my favourite food blogs - Desert Candy - written by Mercedes,  a young woman based in the US with a Middle East/Arab background.  Her blog explores recipes and stories from across the Middle East and more Western repertoires.

Ingredients:
Diced fresh mango, unsweetened dried coconut, chopped scallions (green parts only), toasted cashews or peanuts, lime juice, salt.

Method:
Simply mix together all ingredients in proportions suitable to your liking.

Seriously tasty and great alongside grilled chicken or anything spicy.

Shelina Permalloo's Mango, Rum and Lime Syllabub

I read a profile on Shelina Permallo (in The UK Telegraph newspaper ?) after she won the most recent UK Master chef series; she is an amateur British cook with a Mauritian-heritage which she apparently incorporated into her winning recipes on the television series.   Mangoes are said to be a recurrent theme in her cooking and this dessert was a winner from the first time I made it for a dinner party.   (see A Spanish Meal)

Ingredients:

300ml double cream    150ml Alfonso mango purée    2 Alfonso mangoes chopped into 1cm cubes    75ml of rum, plus 4 tsp    4 limes (juice and grated zest)    Seeds scraped from ½ a vanilla pod   (or use teaspoon vanilla essence)    3 tbs icing sugar    4 ginger biscuits, crushed    Desiccated coconut to sprinkle over the top

 Method:

1/.   Put the biscuits in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to smash them into crumbs.

2/.   Lightly whip the double cream and add the vanilla, 75ml rum, lime juice and zest. Keep whisking until it forms light peaks.

3/.   Add 50ml of the mango purée and fold through for a marbled effect.   Chill again if time.

4/.    To assemble, divide the crumbs between four glasses. Sprinkle 1 tsp of rum over each and pour over the mango purée.

5/.    Add mango cubes & mint & coconut.

Have a great mango season wherever you are!

Tony saab/Hyderabad   May 2012