It's mango season, at least at our local grocery store it is! There is a mountain of champagne or Ataulfo mangos on special. The green ones are not ripe yet, choose the nice firm mango-yellow ones. If the skin is wrinkly or has black spots, it is already a bit overripe. The fruit flesh is slippery to handle and can be squished easily at the tiniest bit of pressure, it can be a bit tricky to prepare. Here is the easiest way to tackle this, and how they are generally prepared in Asia.
Using a sharp knife tip, pierce the mango skin a little more than a-third in from the narrower side. Slice through, along the side of the seed inside. Repeat along the other side of the seed. Score cross-hatch lines in each fruit "shell" (like for an avocado), almost all the way to the skin, but without piercing it. Turn the skin inside-out to eat on it’s own, a Mango Porcupine! The seed is large and flat, and a bit “hairy”. Peel the skin off this bit and either eat the mango around the seed, or cut off what you can from the sides (usually this is my piece, when the kids aren't looking).
MANGO & STICKY RICE (KHAO NIAO MAMUANG) A classic Thai dessert!
1 cup (225g) Glutinous rice, soaked in water for 3 hours (or overnight)
4oz (120ml) water
- Steam the rice in a steamer basket, for 30 minutes.
13.5 fl.oz (400ml) can coconut milk
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp rice flour or tapioca starch
- In a small saucepan, on low heat, warm the ingredients to dissolve the sugar and salt and let thicken slightly.
- Reserve 1/4 cup (60ml) of the coconut sauce for drizzling on top when serving.
- Combine the cooked sticky rice with the rest of the sauce and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve at room temperature with fresh mango, with the extra sauce on the side.