FOOD & DRINK

Celebrate mango month with sweet, savory dishes

Tropical fruit that has the world in its spell can bring an exotic character to recipes.

By Addie Broyles
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Intensely sweet and succulent, mangoes are the most popular fruit in the world, and it's no wonder.

The versatile fruit native to the Indian subcontinent beats out apples, oranges and even bananas as the planet's most-consumed fruit, even though Americans eat just two pounds of them per person per year, according to the National Mango Board.

From lassis, chutneys and pickled green mangoes in southeast Asia to mangoes served on a stick with chili powder and salt as street food in Mexico, the fruit adds a hint of both sugar and acid to sweet and savory dishes from nearly every tropical country.

June is National Mango Month, when many of the more than a thousand varieties are in season. Mangoes are as diverse as their countries of origin: fragrant mangoes with floral notes from India, the disease-resistant grocery-store favorite "Tommy Atkins" and peachlike "Hadens" from Mexico.

With a history that goes back more than 5,000 years - including, the story goes, shading Buddha as he prayed - the mango is culturally and religiously revered in India. "It's such a divine thing," says Chaya Rao, an India-born chef who lives in Austin. Ancient Hindu texts refer to mangoes as the "food of the gods," and in India, the tree is a symbol of love and fertility. Rao says that throughout Indian history, kings visiting other states would bring baskets of their region's mangoes to other kings as gifts.

Mangoes followed trade routes west, through the Middle East, into Africa and then to Central and South America, where the fruit, found in everything from salsas to street food, has had an indelible effect on Latin cuisine. The fruit appears on just about every menu in town in Miami, where chef Allen Susser, co-author of "The Great Mango Book," will trade backyard-grown mangoes for dinner at his restaurant Chef Allen's.

But what is it about the mango that makes it so attractive to a chef?

"I love using different varieties of mangos because of their versatility, and they have a balance of acidity and lush tropical fruit ambrosia," he says. Susser even uses green mangoes in certain dishes because of their distinct flavor.

Susser says their ubiquity in so many parts of the world makes them essential to a number of cuisines. "If you grow up with them or witness a mango tree's growth each year from blossom to fruit to ripening like I do here in Florida, it becomes a part of who you are."

The nutritional value of mangoes also makes them appealing. High in vitamins A and C, mangoes are also a good source of dietary fiber and carotenoids. Indian and Southeast Asian varieties have less fiber than their Caribbean, Florida and Latin American counterparts, which means they have a more custard-like texture.

Let's not forget about the mango peel, which is the most nutritious part of the fruit because it contains a higher concentration of phytochemicals, including beta-carotene. Some people, including Lala Garza of Austin, enjoy eating the skin. "When it's very ripe, (the skin) is very tender and it tastes good," she says. "It's sweet and easy to chew." When mangoes are soft, Garza eats them just like an apple. (For tips on cutting mangos, see the box with step-by-step instructions.)

Mangoes, which are also related to cashews, pistachios and Jamaica plums, contain trace amounts of urushiol, the chemical in poison ivy and poison oak that causes some people to break out. Most people can consume mangoes without problems. However, if you are highly sensitive to poison ivy or poison sumac, the sap that seeps out of the end of a mango or its peel can irritate the skin. The mango board recommends that people wash mangoes before cutting them and wash their hands after handling to prevent a reaction.

India produces about half of the world's total mango harvest (13.5 million tons in 2007), but demand for the fruit is so high that little of the crop is exported. China, Mexico, Pakistan and Thailand are the biggest exporters.

The most common varieties in the U.S. - "Ataulfo," "Francine," "Haden," "Keitt," "Kent" and "Tommy Atkins" - typically come from Mexico and Central and South America. Florida bests Hawaii and California as the largest U.S. producer, but $140 million worth of mangoes are imported from Mexico, the largest U.S. supplier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Greenling Organic Delivery recently started carrying Texas-grown organic mangos from a Rio Grande Valley farm that is one of only a handful of Texas mango growers.

Austin's climate isn't ideal for growing mangoes - yet.

"Traditionally they haven't been hardy here," says Joni Pierce, the so-called "cactus queen" at the Natural Gardener in Oak Hill. In Houston and San Antonio, where mango trees already grow, the coldest nights of the year are seven to eight degrees warmer than they are in Austin, Pierce says.

But now that people in Central Texas are having success with growing avocados that have been grafted to hardier stems and that some recent winters have been mild, maybe mangoes will be next.

abroyles@statesman.com; 912-2504

Mahi Mango Tostadas

For the cream:

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 chipotle chiles en adobo, drained, seeded and chopped

1/2 tsp. adobo sauce from can of chipotle chiles

2 lemons

1/2 tsp. cumin powder

8 oz. 2 percent fat Greek yogurt, strained

For the salsa:

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced (about 11/2 cups)

6 scallions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

1 ripe avocado, diced

For the fish:

1 Tbsp. cumin powder

1 Tbsp. chili powder

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 pound mahi mahi (or other firm white fish, 11/2 inch thick) at room temperature

1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

4 tostada shells

1 cup shredded lettuce

To make the cream, combine garlic, chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, juice from one lemon and cumin powder in a food processor. Blend to form a smooth paste. Add yogurt and pulse until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the salsa, combine mango, scallions, cilantro, orange juice and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir well. Just before serving, gently fold in avocado.

In a small mixing bowl, combine cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper. Brush fish with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and coat with spice mixture. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Lightly brush grill pan or cast-iron skillet with remaining olive oil and heat over high flame. Cook fish, turning once, 3 minutes per side for medium rare or 4 1/2 minutes per side for medium. Remove from heat and slice into 1/2-inch-thick pieces.

To assemble tostadas, arrange shredded lettuce and cubes of fish over tostada on a plate. Top with 3 generous tablespoons of salsa and spoon cream liberally over the salsa. Serve with lemon wedge. Serves 4.

- Ingrid Hoffman

Mangada Cooler

Fino bar manager Bill Norris says this cocktail is inspired by the classic Mexican street food combination of mango, chile and lime. The guajillo pepper syrup imparts a mild smoky heat to the finish, he says. You can buy the peppers at grocery stores such as Central Market and Fiesta.

11/2 oz. Treaty Oak or other quality light rum

1/2 oz. Ron Zacapa Centenario Solera Grand Reserve 23 or other quality dark rum

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. guajillo pepper syrup

4 pieces 1/2-inch diced mango

Topo Chico sparkling mineral water

Lime wheel for garnish

To make guajillo syrup: To two cups of water, add two cups sugar and four guajillo peppers, slit lengthwise. Bring to boil, reduce heat to a simmer, stir to dissolve sugar, cover and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Pass through fine mesh strainer to filter out solids. Stored in refrigerator, the syrup will last for 10-14 days.

Prepare the mango by removing skin and roughly chopping fruit into 1/2-inch cubes. In a mixing glass, muddle lime, mango and guajillo syrup. Add Treaty Oak and Ron Zacapa rums. Shake with ice and double-strain (use a tea strainer over the glass to catch any stringy mango bits) into iced Collins glass. Top with Topo Chico and garnish with lime wheel.

- Bill Norris

Mango Habanero Salsa

1 ear of corn

2 habanero chiles

3 ripe 'Ataulfo' mangoes (other sweet, fiberless varieties can also be used)

1/4 red onion, finely diced

1/4 fresh mint, chopped

1 tsp. cane sugar (regular sugar can also be used)

11/2 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)

Juice of 1 small lime

Roast the corn, remove the kernels and set aside. Roast the habanero chiles lightly on the stove and cool. Dice the mangoes. In a food processor or chopper, lightly crush the mangoes and habaneros (do not purée). Toss the mixture with corn, onion, mint, sugar, salt and lime juice. Taste to see if the sweet, sour and salt are balanced. This depends on the batch and variety of the mango used. Pinches of salt, sugar and a few more drops of lime juice can be used to balance the taste.

- Chaya Rao

Mango Curd (Aam Srikhand)

Chaya Rao says this Northern India staple of yogurt and mangoes is made almost every day during mango season.

3-4 large ripe 'Ataulfo' mangoes, pulped and puréed

2 cups low-fat plain yogurt strained in a cheesecloth (as an alternative, you can use Fage or other Greek yogurt)

1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, depending on the sweetness of the mangoes

1 tsp. ground cardamom

Mix all the ingredients together using a whisk and chill. Serve as a dessert or as an accompaniment to Indian breads such as puris or chapatis. Serves 6.

- Chaya Rao

How to pick the perfect mango

• Color isn't the best indicator of a ripe mango; smell and texture will guide you much better than the shade of red, green, orange or yellow.

• When buying mangoes to use the same day, use your nose to pick a ripe one, authors Allen Susser and Greg Schneider explain in 'The Great Mango Book.' Ripe mangoes have a sweet, tropical smell and have some give when you squeeze them with your fingers.

• Unripe mangoes will ripen on the counter over a few days.

• Fully ripened mangoes can be refrigerated for up to a week, but if you leave them on the counter, they will overripen.

• Mangoes that are overripe and a little squishy when you pick them up are perfect for smoothies or cocktails.

How to cut a mango

Whether you score the mango and scoop out the flesh like an avocado or cut through the skin and fillet the fruit like a fish, the most important part of cutting a mango is navigating the flat, oblong pit. Here's how I like to cut mangoes:

• With the mango lying flat on a cutting board, rotate it a quarter turn so the flat pit inside is perpendicular to the board. With a knife positioned a quarter-inch to the side of the center, slice beside the pit to cut off the fleshy cheek of the fruit. Do the same to the other side.

• Lay half of the mango with the flesh side up and cut several slices, cutting through the skin. Repeat with the other half.

• With your knife parallel to the cutting board, place the edge of the knife between the skin and the flesh and fillet it as if you were cutting the skin off a fish. If the mango is already very ripe, you might be able to just peel off the skin with your hands.

• Slice off any flesh that is still attached to the pit, or if you don't mind the mess, eat it straight off the pit.