A Celebration of Mangoes

HAPPY NATIONAL MANGO DAY!

Photo by HOTCHICKSING on Unsplash

Mangoes are one of my favorite fruits. Besides the obvious yummy flavor, mangoes are a rich source of critical vitamins and minerals that have many positive effects on health. Did you know there are 55 varieties of mangoes in the world?  Alfonso, Kent Langra, Chaunsa, Raspuri, Keitt, and Gir Kesar are just a few types. I probably consumed only 2 or 3 varieties ever. What is your favorite type?

Photo by Rajendra Biswal on Unsplash

Whenever my family and I visited my ammamma in India, she had ripe mangoes picked from the tree in her backyard for us to enjoy during our visit. The mangoes she grew were the kind where you squeeze the juice out and enjoy. Those were good times!  

How are you enjoying mangoes on National Mango Day? There are so many ways to enjoy them like eating fresh, ripe mango slices or indulging in a range of mango-based meals including mango salsa, mango smoothies, mango lassi, and mango ice cream. 

Below are desserts we love making with mangoes. We used mango pulp for many of these recipes. You can use fresh, ripened mango as well; the taste may vary depending on the sweetness. 

1) Mango Mousse is a crowd-pleaser; you only need 4 ingredients to make this easy dessert. 

Mango Mousse

2) Mango Pistachio Kulfi (Indian ice cream) -- When I visited one of our family friends, she taught me how to make this dessert. She enjoys cooking just as much as I do. This dessert has 6 ingredients and is also easy to make. Great for parties, dates, or if your in-laws are visiting. Surprise them with your culinary skills. 

3) Mango Lassi - I love this drink because not only is it delicious but full of probiotics. We blend together mango pulp, Desi dahi (yogurt), and ice to make this drink. This is the best for those hot, sweltering summer days. 

4) All of the aunties in my family always call this dessert mango pie but it tastes like cheesecake. Don't get hung up on the name, just make it and indulge!

Is it a pie or cheesecake? I leave it up to you to decide.

Don't forget to check out 'Celebration of Mangoes - Part 2', where we share recipes using raw or unripe mangoes. 

Hello, hello everyone! Did you miss our posts? It's been a fun and busy year for us so far. We've been spending more time with family and enjoyed discovering foodie delights outside of our kitchen. Thank you for following our blog and trying our recipes. 

Mango Rice Pudding, Finger Lickin' Good!

Ripe ones, green ones, fat ones, and juicy yellow ones. I'm talking about mangoes, of course. Summer isn't the same without mangoes. In India, everyone looks forward to the season because of the mangoes. I still remember the days when my sister and I used to sit on the back porch of my grandparents' house eating juicy yellow mangoes. By the time we were finished, our mouths were covered in juice and my mom would chase us around the house trying to clean us up. Sigh! Those were the days. Now we enjoy mangoes from Ecuador, Mexico, Florida, and if we are lucky, India.  There's just no comparison to the variety of mangoes grown in India.
Furthermore, there's more than one way to enjoy a juicy mango...such as mango rice pudding. Ever since my sister ate this mango rice pudding at a Thai restaurant, she's been dying to re-create it at home. Of course, during her last visit, we did just that. It's not that hard to make and it's so yummy! I mean finger lickin' yummy!

Ingredients' List:

- 1 cup cooked Basmati rice

- 2 cardamom pods, seeded and powdered 

- 4 to 5 oz Evaporated milk (we use Carnation brand)

- ½ cup milk 

- ¼ cup of sugar

- 1/3 cup of Mango pulp (or 1 ripe mango (non-fibrous), peeled, chopped and pureed)

- 1 Mango (ripe and firm), peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

Procedure:

Transfer the cooked rice into a blender, add milk and pulse a few times until the rice is somewhat granular. Pour the rice mixture into a non-stick saucepan and add quarter cup of water, cardamom powder, and evaporated milk. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently for 5 to 7 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Now add sugar and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes and turn off the heat. Allow the mixture to cool for 5 to 10 minutes and then pour the mango pulp and mix well. Transfer the mixture into a suitable container and chill in the refrigerator. Serve the rice pudding topped with the mango pieces. 

Here's to another great season of mangoes in the States!!

****Quick Tips:
- Add a pinch of sugar to the cardamom seeds to make grinding easier. 
- Also check out our other pudding/kheer recipes: Vermicelli and Tapioca Kheer & Rice pudding with Coconut.

A Meaningful New Year

We would like to wish all the South Indians, Khara Ugadi Shubhakanshalu and to all the Maharashtrians, Gudi padvyachya hardik shbhechcha. In plain English, Happy New Year*! Our New Year is determined by the lunisolar calendar. It is similar to the calendars followed by the Chinese, Buddhists, Mongolian, Hellenic and Koreans.

Last year, I remember we posted about some of the dishes that are made on this holiday and forgot to mention the most important one: a special mixture called Ugadi Pachadi (in Telugu) or New Year Chutney (direct English translation).

The ingredients from left to right are ripened bananas, tamarind juice (made from soaking dry tamarind in warm water and squeezing the juice out), coconut, dried neem flowers, brown sugar and unripened mango. I heard that people add green chilies and salt too.

After these ingredients are combined, we drink it. The significance of these ingredients is that they represent the various experiences we face in the year ahead in equal doses. I didn't realize there was a philosophical meaning...I thought it was a just recipe that was passed down from generation to generation. What a revelation!
There are several dishes that are prepared on this holiday. In Andhra Pradesh (my birth state) and Karnataka, people make puran poli, which looks like chappati or roti stuffed with sweet lentil. It is served hot with butter brushed over it. It sounds mouth watering but it's not that healthy. Most temples serve pulihora or tamarind rice on this day. Last year, we went the traditional route and made pulihora and sooji halwa.

This year, we kicked it up a notch and made a different kind of pulihora. The main ingredient is an unripened mango which is a bit tangy and a tad sweet. Ooh, I saved the best for last. We also made gajar (carrot) halwa...in the microwave...can you believe it? It came out really well actually.

Yumm Aam Rasmalai!

I have this friend who is crazy about Indian sweets. Ever since that day, we were inseparable. For her last birthday, I was pondering about the idea of buying her a box of assorted sweets, but her sister beat me to it. During one of our many conversations, she told me that her favorite sweet was Rasmalai. She told me how she used to buy the frozen trays at the Indian stores and take it home for herself.  When she didn't feel like buying the sweets, she attempted to make them at home. After several unsuccessful efforts, she gave up. 

Now my friend can try her luck again at making her favorite sweet with this recipe submitted by one of our Bengali friends.

Ingredients (8 servings - 2 per person):

Illustration includes finished recipe with ingredients

- 2 cans of Rasmalai patties (we used Ghasitrams brand)
- 1 quart carton Half & Half
- 4 tbsp of Mango pulp
- 5-6 pods of Cardamom, seeded and powdered
- 2-3 leaves of Bay leaves
- 1 tbsp of Rose water
- 5-6 Pistachios (unsalted), chopped finely

So let's start assembling this scrumptious dessert:
1) Open the Rasmalai cans and drain all the sugar syrup by transferring the contents into a fine

mesh colander and discard the sugar syrup.

2) Transfer the half & half into a container and place it on the stove with low to medium heat. Add

bay leaves and cardamom powder. Next, heat until the milk ‘ras’(liquid) is somewhat thick.

3) Now add the mango pulp, 1 tbsp at a time and mix well between each spoon addition. Remove

from stove and slowly add the drained patties. Allow the rasmalai to cool down, add rose water and

chill before serving.

4) Garnish the rasmalai with chopped pista before serving and indulge the divinity!!!!!!

Are You Feelin' The Mango Madness?

My sister felt it last weekend! She wanted to make something different and fun for her friend's dinner party. So of course, she's talking about Mango pie. Mango Pie is not just easy but yummy. One thing to remember, it will come out firm and tasty if the recipe is followed properly. As usual, she called my mom to find out about the ingredients and recipe for the pie. This recipe is well known within our community and loved by all.
We usually make this cheesecake for our family get togethers because it doesn't require a lot of unusual ingredients, most of the ingredients except for the mango pulp are already at home. Our original recipe is for making 4 pies and the ingredients and measurements are listed below:

- 1 can (30 oz) of Mango pulp
- 8 oz Cream cheese
- 16 oz Sour cream
- 2 cups Sugar
- 3 cups Hot water
- 3 packets of Unflavored gelatine
- 4 (9 inches) Graham cracker crusts

My sister said she only wanted to make one pie, so below are the measurements for that quantity: 
- 1/4 can (30oz) of Mango pulp
- 2 oz Cream cheese*
- 4 oz Sour cream*
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 3/4 cup Hot water
- 3/4 packet of Unflavored gelatin
- 1 (9 inches) Graham cracker crust

Procedure:
Boil 3/4 cup of cold water and add sugar and gelatin until both are well dissolved. Next, blend everything (including mango pulp, cream cheese, sour cream and sugar, and gelatin mixture) and pour it on the pie crust. Chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours (depending on refrigerator settings).

My sister's update: Everyone loved the pie. The only downside was that a couple of the pieces crumbled as she took them out of the aluminum pie tray. 

***Quick Tip: 
- Most recipes are made for some number of servings. Be mindful when adjusting the measurements for making fewer servings. Leave ample time for setting and taste testing. Also, plan for another item just in case, your original item doesn't turn out well.
- If using low fat or fat-free sour cream or cream cheese, please use 1 packet of the unflavored gelatin to make sure the pie sets properly. 
- If you decide to make only one pie, you can use the rest of the mango pulp for making mango lassi (yogurt smoothie) or mango mousse.