FOOD SPECIAL.... Mangoes on the menu

Mangoes on the menu

The city’s favourite fruit is back in the market. Here are some innovative ways in which you can use its powerful flavour to perk up your meals

Everyone has a favourite mango recipe — the fruit is, after all, such an integral part of the summer season. For Chef Glyston Gracias, City Chef, Impresario Handmade Restaurants, the fruit brings back childhood memories. Chef Gracias tells us the aroma is enough to bring to his mind scenes of life from the predominantly East Indian neighbourhood he grew up in. “We had at least six varieties of mango trees growing around us, including Kesar, Payri, bottle mangoes, Raival and Rajapuri,” he says. “I must have spent half my childhood climbing those trees.”

Born and raised in Mumbai, the chef tells us, he waits for the advent of the mango season each year. “It’s used extensively in East Indian cuisine,” he says, “sometimes we use the fresh fruit, otherwise sundried or pickled mangoes may be used. My mother and grandmother would prepare a lip-smacking fish recipe with mangoes, so, I don’t have to look too far for inspiration when it comes to using the fruit in my kitchen,” Chef Gracias adds.

Chef Bhairav Singh, Masterchef, The InterContinental, Marine Drive, pipes in with a tip: “Before eating, always soak the mangoes in water for half an hour as this works to reduce the heat.

WHEN PEOPLE

think of bruschetta, they think of bread, but this is a healthy version of the dish — in this recipe bread has been substituted with sweet potato

BHAIRAV SINGH,

masterchef at The InterContinental, transforms a classic Italian recipe with mango

ALPHONSO SHAKARKANDI BRUSCHETTA

MOVE OVER avocado on toast. Chef Bhairav Singh, Masterchef, The InterContinental, has a better idea for a healthy breakfast recipe. “When people think of bruschetta, the first thing that comes to mind is bread, but I wanted to replace it with something healthier. That’s why the use of the sweet potato,” says Singh. Deeply inspired by Ayurvedic practices, Singh also recommends using ghee instead of oil and tamarind leaves to prevent itchiness in the throat. “Tamarind leaves help fight the chemicals and preservatives so often found in our food these days,” he says, sharing his recipe, which puts an unusual twist to the classic Italian antipasto.

INGREDIENTS

250 gms Shakarkandi (sweet potato) 2 Alphonso mangoes (medium diced) 20 Pistachios (soaked in water) ½ tsp Crushed black pepper ½ tbsp Lime juice 2 Green chillies 40 gm Feta cheese 1 tsp Jaggery powder 1 tsp Honey 2 fresh strips Tamarind leaves 1 tbsp Ghee Himalayan salt, to taste

METHOD

1 Wash, clean and dry sweet potato and cut into round slices. For the marinade, put crushed black pepper, Himalayan salt, ghee and lime juice in a bowl and mix well. Coat the sweet potato evenly with this. Lay the slices on a roasting pan and roast in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes at 220 degrees C.

2 In the meantime, peel the soaked pistachios and set aside. In a saucepan melt some jaggery; then, turn off the flame and add honey, pistachios and tamarind leaves. Mix well and then add the mango cubes and chopped green chillies. Mix by tossing it gently and then set aside.

3 Check on the sweet potatoes. They should be golden brown at the edges, cooked about 80 per cent through and soft in the centre.

4 To serve, place the sweet potatoes on a serving plate. Top with the mango and pistachio mixture (an equal amount on each slice of the roasted sweet potato). Garnish with crumbled feta cheese and serve warm.

CHUNKY MANGO AND NUTTY QUINOA FRIED RICE

“RICE and mango have always made for a fantastic combination,” says Chef Jerson Fernandes, Executive Chef, Hotel Sea Princess. His seasonal fried rice recipe is also a combination of textures with crunchy quinoa elevating the taste of the dish. “Mango is the hero ingredient. Not only does it lend its rich flavour to the dish, it’s also responsible for a smooth, velvety texture. The crispy fried quinoa compliments the velvety mango and rice perfectly,” he says. On the menu as part of the seasonal summer menu at Jeon, the multi-cuisine restaurant at Sea Princess, the dish, Chef Fernandes believes, is a meal in itself, but also goes well with a serving of Thai mango curry.

INGREDIENTS

100 gms Alphonso mango (diced) 5 tbsp Quinoa 200 gms Cooked rice 50 gms Chopped mushrooms 50 gms Chopped broccoli 1 Chopped green onion 1 tbsp Onions (finely chopped) 1 tbsp Garlic (finely chopped) ½ tsp Sichuan pepper White pepper powder, to taste Salt, to taste ½ tsp Vinegar ½ tsp Soy sauce Oil, to taste 1 pinch Dry mango powder 1 Alphonso mango (pureed)

METHOD

1 Roast the quinoa grains well before bringing to a boil. Once boiled, cool the grains, flash fry them in hot oil until they become nice and crisp and begin to splutter. Set the quinoa aside and start on the rice.

2 Heat a wok/ heavy-bottomed pan. Put some oil, chopped garlic, chopped onions, chopped mushrooms and broccoli in this and saute well.

3 Add the boiled rice, salt, sichuan pepper and white pepper powder and toss well.

4 Add the diced mango cubes, fried quinoa, dry mango powder and toss well (with the other ingredients in the pan).

5 Demould the rice onto a plate with mango cubes and droplets of mango puree placed around it. Serve hot, garnished with a slice of mango and some microgreens. Also, sprinkle a few fried quinoa grains to give it an extra crunch.

Chef’s tips: a) Ensure the quinoa grains are roasted well to get an earthy flavour b) Chill the mango cubes well before tossing them into the pan to help them retain their shape

KALE WITH CHILLY CHARRED MANGOES AND BLANCHED ALMONDS

CHEF Conrad D’Souza loves the combination of mango and red chillies. The first time he used the two together was during his stint at Indigo in 1999, when he made a mango and chilli sorbet. “For this recipe, I chargrill the mangoes with red chilli powder and this delivers a lovely, smoked flavour. The first time I tried this technique was when I made a mango crème brulee,” D’Souza says. Not a big fan of the fruit himself, he knows he must incorporate mangoes in his menu every summer because of how popular it is. Currently preparing to open a health food restaurant in May, the chef came up with this salad combination for his upcoming menu. “For those who want to add meat to the salad, I’d recommend some sliced Cajun-spiced chicken breast. That’s also healthy protein,” he says.

INGREDIENTS

75 gms Kale 30 ml Extra virgin olive oil a few drops White vinegar Salt to taste Ground pepper to taste 30 ml Fresh mango juice 6 to 8 (blanched, sliced) Almonds 20 gms Parmesan (grated)

For the charred mangoes

INGREDIENTS

Mango half (cubed or sliced) Kashmiri chilli powder half a tsp Olive oil a few drops

For the Cajun chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 Chicken breast 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning 30 ml Olive oil

METHOD

1 In a bowl, make the salad dressing by combining mango juice, vinegar, salt and black pepper and whisk until the salt is combined. Add olive oil and whisk until thoroughly blended.

2 For the Cajun chicken: mix the olive oil and Cajun seasoning. Marinate your chicken breast with this for approximately 30 minutes. On a hot grill or pan, pour a few drops of olive oil. Sear the chicken breast on both sides for around four to five minutes. Once it has browned, put it in a pre-heated oven (180 degree C) for around 10 to 12 minutes until it is cooked right through. Slice or shred it once it cools.

3 For the charred mangoes: apply the chilli powder on the mangoes and let it rest for a few minutes. In a hot pan, put some olive oil and sear the mangoes until they’re slightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

4 Mix the charred mangoes and sliced chicken with the kale leaves. Mix the dressing and garnish with a few blanched almonds and grated parmesan (optional). Serve.

GRILLED SALMON WITH CURRIED COCONUT BARLEY AND MANGO AVOCADO SALSA

MARRYING mango with fish and coconut is another trick Chef Glyston Gracias, City Chef at Impresario Handmade Restaurants, picked up from his mother and grandmother.

“Any tangy, sweet fruits go well with salmon,” says Chef Gracias. As the fish is lightly seasoned with lime, salt and pepper, the mango salsa balances out the flavours in this recipe. “I didn’t want to use starch, so I used barley cooked in mango leaves and coconut. It works very well as a salad,” says Gracias.

INGREDIENTS

180 gms Salmon fillets 1 Lime 5 gms Salt 2 gms Black pepper 10 ml Olive oil

For the curried coconut barley

INGREDIENTS

10 gms Butter 5 gms Garlic 1 gm Dried mango (or curry) leaves 80 gms Cooked barley 2 gms Red chillies 40 ml Coconut water 30 ml Coconut milk 2 gms Salt

Mango avocado salsa

INGREDIENTS

15 gms Diced mango 5 gms Diced red bell pepper 2 gms Fresh cilantro 10 gms Red onion 2 gms Red chilli 10 gms Avocado Juice of 1 lime 10 ml Olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste

1 Marinate the salmon fillets with lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

2 Preheat the grill over medium-high. Grill the salmon for one minute on each side and then place it in a preheated oven at 170 degree C for three minutes.

3 For the curried coconut barley: In a medium-heated saucepan, put some butter, garlic, mango (or curry) leaves, red chillies and cooked barley, mixing lightly. Add coconut water and coconut milk. Cover and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if need be.

4 For the avocado-mango salsa: In a medium bowl, toss together mango, red bell peppers, cilantro, red onion, avocado, lime juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

5 Serve the salmon warm with the curried barley and mango salsa.

| Moeena Halim
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