In mood for mango

Protima Tiwary

Summers are here, and while we soak in the beautiful morning sun and enjoy our evenings by the pools, there’s another reason to celebrate, and that comes in the form of the king of all fruits — the mango. Mango brings with it a lot of memories for everyone who has grown up in India. A bite into this luscious fruit will send you on a nostalgic trip to your childhood, when afternoons were spent on trees trying to get ripe fruit while our folks enjoyed their afternoon siestas. We’re in the mood to celebrate nostalgia this season, kicking it off with these raw mango recipes.  

Raw mango kachumbar salad 

Tangy, sweet, spicy and uber delicious — perfect for a summer snack.

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped green mango
• 1 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onions
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 green chilli
• 1/2 tsp jeera
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste

Instructions 

• Chop the raw mango into small pieces. Add this to a bowl with chopped onions and green chillies.
• In a pan, roast the jeera. Sprinkle the jeera, sugar and some salt over the bowl full of chopped raw mango, onions and green chillies. Add chopped coriander leaves and mix. Serve chilled. 

Green mango & prawn salad

A tasty Thai salad made with succulent prawns; just apt for supper.

Ingredients 

• 200g pack raw shell-on headless prawn
• 3 small onions (finely chopped) 
• 85g roasted salted peanuts
• 2 tbsp chopped mint
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 green mangoes 
• z 2 tbsp soy sauce
• z 2 tbsp lime juice
• z 1 small red chilli
• z 2 spring onions 
• z 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Mix lime juice, soy sauce, sugar and chilli in a bowl. Add onions and peanuts, mix well and set aside for 4 hours. Grate the mango and stir it into the mixture. Add mint. Heat oil in a pan, add prawns and stir fry for 2 minutes. Put the prawns on a plate, with the salad prepared in the bowl in the centre. Garnish with spring onions and peanuts. 

Green mango salad 

A great light summer dinner.

Ingredients 

• ½ bunch snake beans, cut into 3cm lengths
• 120g cherry tomatoes, cut into half
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ cup coriander leaves
• ¼ cup roasted peanuts
• 2 red chillies, chopped
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 2 green mangoes
• 2 small onions 
• 1 green chilli
• 2 tbsp sugar

Instructions 

Blanch the snake beans in boiling water for 2 minutes, refresh in iced water and drain well. Crush the peanuts and add to a mixture of snake beans and tomatoes in a bowl. Add chilli and garlic on the top, then add sugar, lime juice and onions. Mix till the sugar dissolves. Add mango and coriander and serve on a large platter.