Refreshing Cucumber Mango Sweet Potato Salad

Come spring, I start dreaming about the various fresh vegetables that will start rolling into the market as the season progresses... and the salads I can make with them.

This refreshing cucumber mango salad is marinated in a zesty lime vinaigrette for that extra burst of flavor. Semi-ripe and firm mangoes that are not mushy work best for this salad as they bring the tangy-sweet flavor.

Sweet potatoes are optional, but, since the older child loves them, it gives another dimension to the salad with its texture, and its mildly sweet flavor.

Ingredients
English cucumber, diced chunky
Seedless red grapes, halved lengthwise
Grape or cherry snack tomatoes, halved lengthwise
Celery stalk with leaves, coarsely chopped
Kale leaves, ribboned
Orange bell pepper, diced
Semi-ripe but firm mango, sliced
Shallots or purple onions, sliced thinly

Lemon-Lime Sweet Vinaigrette
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp honey or agave nectar
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp ground paste of fresh jalapeno and cilantro**
1 Tbsp cilantro chopped finely for garnish
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chives
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 garlic clove squeezed through garlic press
6 Tbsp hazelnut oil or walnut oil
salt to taste

**Pulse some fresh cilantro leaves, some fresh de-seeded jalapeno, some oil and apple cider vinegar to make a coarse paste

Preparation

1. Massage the kale ribbons with some olive oil and let them sit 
2. Combine the cucumbers, mango, celery, bell peppers, onions and toss with some salt and the cilantro-jalapeno paste from the step above; allow to marinate while assembling the rest
3. Pan-roast the sweet potatoes and allow to cool before tossing into the salad
4. Stir together the vinaigrette ingredients, adjust to taste
5. Serve layered or tossed, with feta or goat cheese, if preferred

Mango Salsa Lettuce Roll-ups

The combination of mango, colorful peppers, red onion, chickpeas, jalapeño, and cilantro  mingled with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar plus a touch of salt is just a perfect explosion of flavor.

Some butter lettuce from the garden was just the thing to wrap this flavor explosion in and pop into the mouth.

It was just going to be a side salad but being so addictive the adults simply filled up on these Mango Salsa-Filled Lettuce Roll-ups. Simply scoop some salsa into a leaf of lettuce, wrap or roll it for convenient eating.

Green Papaya, Green Mango, Green Kohlrabi Spicy Chutney

There's something utterly delectable about the combination of tangy sour and peppery piquant with a touch of delicate sweetness that has made it universal. Cuisines around the world have come up with local versions of this combination leveraging the indigenous ingredients.

Raw green mango chutney and thokku are fairly common in Indian cuisine; and so is green papaya and kohlrabi. After the Purple Carrots, Purple Cabbage and Beet Relish, I was craving for more such combination chutneys and relishes.

There was enough green papaya left after the Green Papaya and Purple Carrot Thai Salad.

There was enough kohlrabi left from the big bunch I picked up at the Farm market.

There were two green mangoes I had picked up because I like mangoes and liked the price.

The stars practically scrambled to align themselves for this particular Green Papaya, Green Mango, Green Kohlrabi Spicy Chutney to come into existence.


Ingredients
2 cups grated green papaya
2 cups grated kohlrabi
2 cup grated raw green mango
2 Tablespoon finely grated ginger
4 green chilies, finely diced or minced (seeded first, if preferred)
1 whole lemon, zest plus the lemon sections finely diced

1/2 Tablespoon brown sugar (1 Tablespoon if the green mango is too sour)
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup Pomegranate red wine vinegar

¼ cup coconut oil 

salt to taste

Tempering:

1 Tablespoon mustard seeds plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Preparation

1. Heat the ¼ cup coconut oil in a pan and add the grated ginger and all the rest of the ingredients, stir well, adjust salt to taste and allow to simmer in medium heat
2. Tempering: heat the oil in a small pan, when shimmering add the mustard seeds and allow to pop, turn off heat
3. Once the liquid has cooked up and the chutney has thickened to a spreadable consistency add the tempering, stir well and preserve in jar using the boiling water canning method
4. If not canning, allow to cool and refrigerate and use within ten days

Mambazha Pachadi: Sweet Mango Fruit Pachadi

A Palakkad dish, this is one of my favorites growing up, especially the way my mom used to make it. Over the years, I've played with her recipe to adapt it to my current tastes. Kids don't like it, and the other adult in the family can take it or leave it. So, when I make it, I know there's going to be plenty for me.

The sweetness of ripe mangoes, the tang from tamarind, and the heat from red chilies come together for an amazing burst of flavor. If using raw tamarind or pulp or paste, adjust to taste; the store-bought Sour Soup mix works out well for many dishes that use tamarind, and the measurements are for this particular product.

Ingredients
1 large ripe mango, chopped
2 Tbsp tamarind Sour Soup mix
1 tsp red hot chili powder

for grinding:
3 Tbsp grated coconut
1 tsp whole black peppers

salt to taste

Tempering:
1 tsp coconut oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chilies broken to pieces
a few curry leaves, torn

Preparation

1. Grind the coconut paste and keep handy
2. Boil the mango in some tamarind and water and salt; I leave the skin on as I like the texture it brings to the final dish; peel the mango if preferred
3. Puree the cooked mango to a mush, stir in the coconut paste, adjust salt to taste and simmer
4. Tempering: heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilies and finally the curry leaves; remove from heat when mustard seeds pop; add it to the simmering mango puree
5. Serve with roti, naan, basmati rice

Opo Squash, Tomatillo, White Bean, Mango Buttermilk Soup

This mildly spiced tangy soup is a summertime favorite. Tomatillos and raw green mango adds a gentle sourness that is enhanced by buttermilk. Opo squash brings a watery balance to the dish while the beans adds a bit of protein and texture.

We've had yo-yo-ing temperatures lately-- in the 80s one day and down to 50s the next. It seemed like a perfect meal for that warm day.

Ingredients
2 Tomatillos
1 medium green raw mango
1 cup cooked white beans
1 cup diced opo squash

spices to grind:
4 Tbsp grated coconut
1 teaspoon peppercorn
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tablespoon plain raw rice (acts as a thickener)

2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp coconut oil
salt to taste
½ tsp turmeric powder (optional)

Preparation

1. Grind the spices and keep handy
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the veggies and beans, some turmeric, salt, just enough water to cook the veggies; cover and simmer til veggies are cooked but not mushy
3. Add the ground spice paste, simmer for a few more minutes; stir in buttermilk, adjust salt to taste and turn off heat
4. Serve warm or cold

Chicken with Mango and Pepper Sauce

Growing up with more than two dozen varieties of mangoes, enjoyed every season till we can't bear the smell of it anymore, it is no surprise that mangoes excite me, even if I get just two or three varieties in the local markets.

A ripe mango, some Turkish Pepper paste, some roasted red bell peppers, a few Walla Walla onions from the home garden, and a few leaves of fresh mint also from the home garden came together for this dish.

A jar of Tazah® Hot Pepper Paste is a staple in my kitchen. It is fairly mild, even though it is labeled Hot.

Cut the chicken breast in half and serve this dish with a drizzling of sauce and a side salad for a light yet satisfying meal. Or, serve the whole chicken breast floating in a bowl of sauce with some hot brown basmati rice on the side and some home-made naan to mop up any remaining sauce.

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

For the rub:
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1 Tbsp Tazah® pepper paste
1 tsp salt
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

For the sauce:
3 Tbsp Tazah® Turkish Pepper paste
6 to 8 Pickled Walla Walla Pearl Onions (I had it handy and wanted to use it; this is optional)
½ cup chopped roasted red bell peppers
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
3 or 4 fresh mint leaves

Preparation

1. Carefully slit the chicken breast to create a pocket
2. Combine the ingredients for the rub to make a thick paste and rub the chicken breasts with it
3. Reserve some diced mango for garnish, some for the sauce, and stuff some of the diced mango into the pockets in the chicken breasts, securing with toothpick as needed; marinate for about 20 minutes (or more if preferred)
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and place the chicken breasts carefully in the pan at high heat and let it sit for about 2 minutes; then flip the breasts over, turn heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes till chicken breasts are cooked through; remove from heat
5. While the chicken breast is cooking, make the sauce; combine the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer at medium high heat till the sauce reduces and thickens to desired consistency; taste and adjust salt
6. Slide in the chicken breasts into the simmering sauce, allow to simmer for about 5 minutes more in low heat
7. Garnish with the reserved mango pieces, some fresh mint leaves and spring onions if handy

Wild Rice with Mango, Bell Pepper and Sprouted Beans

Some mango, curry leaves, bell peppers, onions come together for this wild rich dish garnished with sprouted beans and spring onions.

Every once in a while I sprout some beans/lentils and sprinkle a handful on salads, soups etc. Moong beans and brown lentils are the most common ones I sprout.

Sometimes I use the default cheesecloth in colander method, or use the glass jar with screen lid method.

If screen lid is not handy, a piece of mesh cut out from the mesh bag the onions came in works; place it over a Mason™/Kerr™ canning jar, and fit it with a ring lid. If mesh bag is not handy, I get away with a piece of paper towel with perforations.

Simply soak the brown lentils overnight, drain, rinse, drain well; place in a glass jar fitted with screen lid and watch in sprout in 3 or 4 days. Rinse once a day and drain well.




Ingredients
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 medium-ripe mango (not too ripe, raw is fine)
a handful of curry leaves (optional)
1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
2 Tbsp home-made ras al hanout (more or less)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
1 Tbsp canola oil

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan, saué the onions, curry leaves, bell peppers with a pinch of salt and spices
2. Add the cooked wild rice, mango, brown sugar, stir well, adjust flavors to taste
3. Stir in lemon juice and garnish with spring onions and sprouted brown lentils before serving

Pan Fried Spring Roll Wraps

This came about as a quick evening tea-time snack when my parents were here. Around 3:30pm or 4pm most afternoons we liked to assemble in the patio for some tea. Usually some mixed nuts or Chex mix or Indian mixture is what my parents enjoy with tea. But, once a week or so I would make some impromptu snack and that's how this pan fried spring roll wraps came about.

Nothing special about this dish. I had a batch of spring roll wrappers in the freezer that needed to be used up. Filling can be anything of your choice - curried potatoes, carrots and peas like for samosa, or cabbage/carrots/bean sprouts like for spring rolls. But, I just had ricotta cheese and frozen spinach handy, so, that's the filling I used here.

Rather than deep frying like for spring rolls or samosa, I simply pan fried in a shallow pan with just a tiny bit of oil to brown the sides.

Ingredients
10-12 Spring roll wrappers, thawed and ready to use

filling: ricotta cheese, frozen cut spinach thawed and squeezed dry, curry powder, salt, chopped onions

3-4 Tbsp oil

Preparation

1. combine the filling ingredients, adjust to taste and set aside
2. fill each spring roll wrapper with a tablespoon of the filling, wrap it tightly, seal with a little bit of water around the edges
3. heat a tablespoon of oil in a shallow pan, place the spring roll wraps in batches and allow to brown; turn over and allow to brown on all sides
4. add a little more oil for each batch and pan fry them in batches till all are done
5. serve warm with mango chutney or any favorite cutney

Mango Chutney

Ingredients: dry mango, spiced dry mango with chilli powder, distilled white vinegar, brown sugar salt, oil, water as needed

Mango chutney is usually slightly sweet-sour, so the flavors can be adjusted to taste - vinegar gives the sourness and the mangoes are sweet as-is, but brown sugar can be added for extra sweetness. I get these wonderful dried mango slices at New Season's Market - unsweetened organic mangoes, as well as dry mango slices spiced with salt and chilli powder - which makes it very easy to make this chutney any time.

soak the dry mango pieces in some hot water to reconstitute a bit; combine the rest of the ingredients except oil and blend to a fine paste; adjust flavors to taste and sauté the paste in a bit of oil over medium heat till it comes together and is thickened a bit.

If the chutney is too thick for a dip, dilute with some water.

Mambazha Mor-kozhambu

Mambazham=Mango fruit. The mor-kozhambu recipe is very much the same as opo squash mor-kozhambu. The primary difference is the use of ripe mango fruit instead of vegetables (opo squash, carrots, plantain etc.).

This doesn't look like much in the photo - just a yellow liquid - but, it was a tiny piece of heaven for me. I don't make this often. I wait till I crave for it and make it in the mango season when the fruits are affordable here, which is usually around summer.

Mambazha mor-kozhambu can be a bit of an acquired taste like Mahani/Mahali oorugai (pickle). I simply love Mahali oorugai, but, my mom, and even D cannot stand the smell of it! Me, I am happy with yogurt rice accompanied by a generous helping of Mahali pickle:)

Anyway, for this mambazha mor-kozhambu:

1. I used one large ripe mango fruit, skinned, and pulp extracted by hand.
2. Then simmered it in some water and salt. When cool enough to handle, ran it in the blender till uniformly smooth and no lumpy mango pieces remained.
3. Then added the ground mor-kozhambu paste as in opo squash mor-kozhambu recipe and simmered some more
4. Finally added buttermilk till it warmed through but not boiled, else buttermilk separates. Optionally add the tempering and garnish with cilantro or curry leaves.

This mambazha mor-kozhambu has a slight sweet tinge to it from mango fruit, which is balanced by some extra hot chilies in the ground coconut+chili paste.

I love paruppusili to accompany this mor-kozhambu, but, I was too lazy to make paruppusili, so, I served it with spicy beetroot+potato roast - just potatoes and beetroot pan-roasted with red hot chili powder and some salt.

Mango Pachadi

Pachadi is a south indian side which can either be yogurt-based or tamarind-based. It is usually sweet-sour if made with tamarind, and cool-bland if made with yogurt.

I like unripe green mango as much as juicy sweet mango fruit. This mango pachadi recipe is not quite traditional. Driven by my usual spirit of experimentation, and, not finding all the traditional ingredients handy, I ventured to come up with a rather unusual and yet surprisingly tasty pachadi :)

As always, taste is very personal, so, the ingredients and quantities can be adjusted to your liking. The tang from the vinegar in the pickled jalapeño and the smoky heat from the ancho-pasilla chilies combined with the mild sweetness of the mango made this dish quite interesting for me.

Ingredients
1 large ripe mango
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
6 rings/slices of pickled jalapeño
2 dried ancho-pasilla chilies, reconstituted
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
¼ cup plain yogurt
salt to taste

tempering: 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp mustard seeds

partially peel the skin, remove the seed and coarsely chop the mango; remove the skin completely if preferred - i like the texture and taste the skin adds

combine all the ingredients except yogurt in a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste; fold in the yogurt gently, adjust flavors to taste; garnish with tempering

tempering: heat oil in a pan, when shimmering add the urad dal and when it turns golden brown add the mustard seeds and when they pop turn off heat

Serve at room temperature with rice and molagoottal, or dosai, even with simple roti.

This Mango pachadi is my 'M' dish for lovely Nupur's A to Z of Indian Vegetables event.

Mango Rice

I remember roughly about a dozen or so varieties of mangoes that I relished in my childhood: some best eaten raw, some best when ripe and golden, each with quite a distinct flavor and texture. Some were stringy, some were soft and fleshy; some were way too juicy that i just had to poke a hole, stick a straw and enjoy the juice and discard the mango.

Summer was the mango season where I grew up. My mom used to make so many different dishes with mangoes - the raw green ones as well as ripe fruits.

Tiny raw baby mango pickle is still one of my favorites: my mom used to just brine a batch and have it handy for snacking on; and then a larger batch was brined and soaked in a blend of spices including extra hot chili powder and mustard - we either called it "maa vadu" or "kadugu manga" - a wonderfully addictive pickle/achar/side that I loved eating with yougurt or buttermilk rice. My mom had special porcelain/earthenware jars/crock to store these in and they last for over a year, if we don't eat it all up first, that is.

Plus, of course various mango chutneys, salads and pachadis. By the end of each mango season we kids would have gorged so much that we couldn't handle the sight of another mango! Those were the days!

Many south Indian dishes seem elaborate as they involve some form of spice paste, plus some form of spice powder, but, I have found that making extra and saving it for future use makes it seem effortless the next time :)



Ingredients
2 medium raw green mangoes - one diced, one grated finely
4 cups cooked basmati rice
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste

spice paste*:
4-6 cloves of garlic
1" piece of ginger
4-5 green chilies

Spice powder:
1 Tbsp urad dal
1 Tbsp chana dal
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 star anise
1-2 bay leaves
1-2 2-inch pieces of Indian/Ceylon cinnamon bark (optional)

tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 Tbsp chana dal (optional)
4-5 fresh curry leaves (optional)
1 Tbsp oil for tempering

Preparation

1. Dice one mango (get as close to the pit as you can; and discard the pit) - i like to leave the skin on as it gives a certain texture and bite to the dish; alternately, skin and grate the mango, if preferred, instead of dicing; set aside
2. Roughly chop the other mango; again, remove the skin if preferred
3. Combine the chopped mango from step 2 and the spice paste ingredients in a blender or food processor and grind into a fine paste; set aside
4. Dry roast the spice powder ingredients, and when cool enough to handle, grind them to a fine powder; set aside
5. Heat the oil in a pan, add the spice paste and sauté till the raw flavor of garlic is gone and the spices release their aroma
   
6. Add the diced mango, turmeric powder, spice powder from step 4, some salt and sauté till the diced mango softens a little and is not too raw
7. Add the cooked rice, adjust salt to taste, stir till well incorporated
8. Tempering: heat oil in a small pan/ladle, when oil shimmers add the mustard seeds; when mustard seeds splutter and die down, add the curry leaves and turn off heat
9. Garnish with the tempering, serve warm with pappadam or vadaam.

I usually double or triple the quantities for the spice powders and spice paste and save a portion of them for later use. Spice pastes can be refrigerated for up to a month usually, and spice powders last even up to six months if stored in an air tight container.

While I prefer to make my own spice pastes and powders, I also try to have some store-bought ones to fall back on.

The quick and easy mango rice recipe here is adapted from Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan, with variations, as I cannot follow a recipe without personalizing/customizing it somehow.