ces's Journal: Mangos!

A response to KoriaDesevis who was asking about mangos a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately I missed the disscussion back then due to lack of internet at the time and a whole bunch of house remodeling.

Question: What's a good way to use a mango in preparing a main course? I am thinking that mango and chicken are a good match, but I am not sure how I would combine these?

You are indeed correct that mango and chicken are a very good match. It also pairs with fish and shellfish quite nicely.

In fact a quite classic American dish known as Country Capitan Chicken uses this pairing. Unfortunately the recipies I've seen for this dish vary quite a bit and most omit the mango. The others dissagree on if the mango should be cooked in the dish or served on the side in the form of a chutney or salsa.

Making a mango chutney or salsa would be a good way to pair the mango with any number of dishes and is common in Indian cooking (for the chutney) and Southwestern/Latin cooking (for the salsa).

Another use for mango is in fruit smoothies or the classic Indian drink Mango Lassi which is essentially just mango pulp and plain yougurt blended, though many recipies add milk, sugar, spices, or nuts.

Do be aware that there are several different varieties of mangos availible in the US which can vary in flavor quite a bit. This is probably not a problem unless you are shopping in an Indian, Asian, or Latin market as most stores only have the classic red/green mangos most recipes are based on. Some of the other varieties are worth a try for eating fresh or using in smoothies as many of them are sweeter and more tender than the standard variety.

Here are some recipes I found for main dishes with mangos:
Broiled Chicken with Mango-Avocado Chutney
Curried Chicken with Mango
Ginger-Marinated Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa
Mojo Chicken with Avocado & Mango Salsa
Pacific Rice Salad
Turkey & Red Onion Fajitas with Three-Fruit Salsa
Indian-Style Lamb Chops
Grilled Fresh Fish with Mango-Serrano Pico
Orange-Glazed Wild Alaska Salmon with Mango Relish
Oven-Roasted Salmon with Mango Salsa
Roasted Snapper with Curried Lime, Orange & Mango Purée
Salmon on a Bed of Greens with Mango Salsa
Salmon Fillet with Horseradish Almond Crust
Cold Curried Mango Soup
Chilled Mango Cherry Soup with Kiwi
Tropical Gazpacho
Sweet & Sour Mango Salsa

I'll post a recipe for Country Captain Chicken in the next couple of days.

Wow!

[KoriaDesevis]

First off, thanks for collecting these all into one place! (I suppose I could have done the same had I thought to do so, but I didn't)

I had no idea that mango could be used as such. When I bought the ones I had a wee bit back, I bought them on a whim, thinking it might be an interesting adventure. I'd not thought I would like them as much as I did, nor did I think they were used in such a good variety of dishes.

You're on my smiley-face list! :)

Re:Wow!

[ces]

First off, thanks for collecting these all into one place! (I suppose I could have done the same had I thought to do so, but I didn't)

Not a problem ... thank Google.

I had no idea that mango could be used as such. When I bought the ones I had a wee bit back, I bought them on a whim, thinking it might be an interesting adventure. I'd not thought I would like them as much as I did, nor did I think they were used in such a good variety of dishes.

For some other dishes try searching for "recipe mango [google.com]" or "mango r [ttp]