Mango Parfait - Breakfast or dessert?

A Parfait is a French dessert which is a layer of cream or ice cream and fruit layered with syrup and topped with nuts. In the American avatar parfait is layered with yogurt and fruits and topped with granola. Fruit, yogurt and granola are all individually eaten for breakfast so why not combine all three and enjoy it? It feels like dessert but is actually quite filling and is better than muffins or doughnuts. Of the three granola might be the only ingredient that can be considered unhealthy. Well it can be replaced with cornflakes or crushed nuts or a combination of both.

If serving as a dessert replace the granola with candied nuts. While it is not ice cream it is still enough to satiate any sweet tooth. DD2 and I eat this for dinner or breakfast and it can be modified for any meal.

With the mango season upon us, I don't have to talk about India but even the stores here in the US now carry several different types of mangoes. Few days ago I bought a variety called Apple Mango priced at a princely $1.50 per mango and it was round and smooth and very tempting. It tasted quite good but was stringy and I cut it before it turned fully ripe and perhaps the only reason I was even able to dice it.

Anyway I will stick to the yellow mangoes sold as Champagne or Ataulfo which cultivated in Mexico and they work beautifully. These mangoes are mild and sweet and not stringy making them perfect for parfaits, fruit salads and making jellies or jams.

The parfait is easy to put together and as suits your mood, they can be had for breakfast, dessert, brunch or even dinner. If you do not want to use granola or muesli you can use any crunchy cereal, soaked basil or chia seeds or crunched nuts.

Mango Parfait
Preparation Time:5 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 ripe mangoes - diced
2. 1/2 cup of plain Greek Yogurt or thick home made yogurt
3. 2 tbsp of granola or crushed roasted nuts
4. a drizzle of honey (optional)

Method

1. In a wine stem glass start with the yogurt, add in the diced mangoes.
2. Add a bit more yogurt, drizzle the honey if doing and then top with granola.
3. Mix as you eat.

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Raw Mango in salt and chili powder - a childhood favorite

If you went to school in India you will know immediately what I am talking about. I am not sure about kids these days but back then we either took the town bus (public transportation) or vans and autos which were jam packed. Anyway when school let off we swarmed to the shops outside which were on open carts, or just supported on bicycles selling all kinds of delicacies. Made more delicious by the hundreds of flies swarming over them I bet! The exact reason why most parents forbade them outright.

These things did not cost much and you always had a buck here or there to buy those. Sorry to confess I was never a very obedient child. Moreover as long as I removed all traces of evidence... I think my mom always knew but then she was also a wise woman. Somebody had already informed her before Anthony Robbins came along not to sweat the small stuff I figure.

All that introduction was to talk about these sliced raw mangoes which were in jars soaking in a chili powder and salt solution. I kid you not that stuff was delicious! I would admit it would be almost impossible to recreate that exact taste at home. Fresh sliced mangoes were added everyday perhaps but I doubt the soaking liquid was ever thrown. That is what gave those mangoes or gooseberries that delicious taste.

kili mooku (parrot beak) mango

The mangoes that were used for this were the parrot beak or the kili mooku as it is called in Tamil (Wikipedia tells me they are called Totapuri in the rest of India). The small gooseberries also called star gooseberries or the much bigger amla gooseberries, the pictures of which you can see in this link, is also soaked in the salt, chili powder solution to delicious results.

Well here in the US, we get raw mangoes but the mangoes are neither sour and even when they are raw they are slightly sweet so I have to make some improvisations to get them to taste similar. While I can bet that vinegar was not used by those road side vendors that is the ingredient I turn to, to get the sour taste which is what gives the soaked raw mangoes their taste.

Dice the mangoes and chilies and add to the bottle.
Sprinkle the chili powder and salt on to the diced mangoes, put lid and place near a sunny window.

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Raw Mango in salt and chili powder
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Soaking Time:Couple of hours or Best 2 days or more
Ingredients

1. 1-2 raw mangoes
2. 2-3 green chilies cut into rounds and seeds removed (optional)
3. 2 tsp salt
4. 1/2 tbsp chili powder
5. 1 tbsp white vinegar

Method

1. Dice the mangoes (as small or as big as you want). Dice the chilies and shake out the seeds.
2. Take a clean, dry glass or ceramic jar with lid and add the mangoes and the sliced chilies to the glass jar.
3. Add in the salt, chili powder and vinegar. Place the lid and shake so the mangoes are well mixed with the salt and chili powder.
4. Let sit on a sunny window for about 2 days or more for best results.
5. As the mango soaks it will start to let out water and shrink in size. It is ready at this stage.

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Instant Mango Pickle

When we reached India the mango season was at its fag end but we still got to taste a good variety of them. After a couple of days the interest wears off - yes to the point of turning them down. You will do that once you start eating them for morning, noon and night. Raw mango on the other hand is different, never loses it's thrall for me no matter how often I eat it.

As soon as we reached here after the India trip on my first run to the Indian grocery store I pick out a few raw mangoes with the intention of making sambhar with it but it lay in the fridge for a couple of weeks till DD finally notices it and asks me to make pickle with it - the instant kind that she enjoyed the last time I made them.

So here we are. There are quite possibly a number of ways to make this as there are number of cooks making them. If you like a quick mango pickle recipe with garlic, green chilies and ginger follow this recipe.

I have added lime juice because the mangoes were not very sour and also this works if the mango is a slightly ripe as well.

Instant Mango Pickle
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:20 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 raw mangoes seeded and chopped into small cubes (1 1/2 cups)
2. 1/4 cup of sesame oil/gingelly oil (nallennai)
3. 1/2 - 1 tsp mustard seeds + 1/4 tsp for seasoning
4. 1/2 tsp fendugreek seeds
5. 3 red chilies
6. 2 sprigs of curry leaves washed and dried completely (a few minutes in the microwave)
7. a small piece of asfoetida
8. 2 tbsp red chili powder (or to taste)
9. 2 tsp salt
10. 1/2 tbsp lime juice (if the mango is not sour)

Method

For the powder
1. Dry roast the fengugreek seeds,mustard seeds and the asfoetida for a couple of minutes till the fenugreek seeds start to turn a darker shade. Add in the red chilies and roast for a 1/2 minute more. Cool and blend to a powder. A spice grinder or coffee grinder works for this.
2. Now heat the oil till it starts to smoke a bit. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Now add the mango pieces and give a good mix. Add in the spice powder, red chili powder and salt. Mix and cook for a couple of minutes
3. Add the lime juice cook for another minute and turn off the heat.
4. Cool and store. Stays for a week outside. Refrigeration is better if it is going to last longer.

Mango Sorbet Recipe

Summer days in the DC area come with humidity, heat and bugs. Today is one of those unusual days with a cool breeze, zero humidity and no bugs - perfect for leisurely walks, outdoor activities and such.

This mango sorbet might not be something that you will be reaching out for on a day such as this one but on the other hand on a normal DC day this sorbet will come in quiet handy.

This sorbet was made with canned mango pulp but with the mango season on hand it can be made with fresh mangoes.

Mango Sorbet
From Canned pulp
1. 1 30oz can of mango pulp (see note)
2. 1/2 cup of fresh mangoes sent through a blender and roughly chopped (as small or as chunky as you want)
2. juice from one small lemon (3 tsp worth)

From fresh Mangoes
1. Ripe juicy mango pieces enough to make 3 cups of pulp + maybe 1/2 cup of water (about 8-10 mangoes)
2. 1 cup of sugar (adjust accordingly)
3. 3 tsp of lemon juice

Method
1. In an ice cream maker combine the mango pulp and lemon juice and let it set for about 25 minutes.
2. Scoop and freeze for another of couple of hours before serving.
3. If not using an ice cream maker freeze and every couple of hours break the crystal and let set again. Do this for 3 times and then freeze.

Note
1. If using canned mango pulp do not add any extra sugar.

Ripe Mango and Plum Salsa (Salad)

A couple of years ago we visited my cousin in Florida. He cut up a few mangoes and it was the first time I had tasted mangoes that were both tasty and aromatic in the USA. From the aroma to the taste they were close to the ones we get in India. But I am not really a good judge because I have been away from the mango season in India for a long time now. A colleague of his who has these mango trees in her backyard brings them to the office. The mangoes apparently disappear as soon as she brings them in. I forget what each one cost though. There is no chance that some of those excellent mangoes were going to reach our neck of the woods anytime soon.

But around here we make do with yellow mangoes. Last week we bought home a case of Champagne mangoes. Champagne is also called Ataulfo mangoes and come from Mexico. These yellow mangoes the best in terms of texture without the strings that are common in most varieties of mangoes available here but with none of the mango aroma with which ripening mangoes announce their presence back home. If we did not take a peek every now and then we would have just missed the ripening of these mangoes altogether.

I like the mangoes when they are fully ripe but not mushy and that is the texture you want for this salsa. The inspiration and recipe for this salsa is from this article in Mother Jones magazine. If mangoes are not available in your neck of the woods or you want to go local use Peaches when they are in season like the article suggests. I am going to try some Peach salsa once peaches are in season here.

DD2 suggested adding plums to the mix. In India where the Mango season is just starting sky is the limit for this recipe.

Mango and Plum Salsa
Ingredients
1. 2 ripe mangoes peeled and diced (I used slightly bigger dice about 1 inch)
2. 2 plums pitted and diced (the ones I used where slightly sour) - optional (see Note)
3. 1 tbsp minced red onion (add more if needed)
4. 1 garlic minced ( I did not add this)
5. 2 green chillies seeded and minced
6. 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
7. 2 tsp lemon juice + 1/2 tbsp lime juice
8. a pinch of salt
9. 1 tbsp roasted roughly chopped almonds (purely optional, see Notes)

Method
1. Take the minced onion and add the lime and lemon juice and salt to it and let it sit for a few minutes. This removes the pungent raw onion taste and smell.
2. Now mix together mango, plum, green chilies into the lime and onion mixture. Give a good toss.
3. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
4. Sprinkle the nuts just before serving.

Note:
1. The slightly sour taste of the plum added one more dimension to the taste.
2. The amount of onions can be increased as per preference
3. I skipped the minced garlic altogether because of the smell and taste of raw garlic.
4.Skip the nuts if you do want them. But the provide the crunch.