When mango enter the market at this time every year it brings back sweet childhood memories for most people.The first time I tasted mango in India I fell in love. After just a bite I knew that the love would never go away.
Every year in March I start counting the days for the mango to come. When I visited the market the other day I got overwhelmed to see “the king of fruits”, as the Alphonso-mango often is called. The counting was over for this year.
Maybe I am just obsessed with food, but to me there is nothing like the moments of happiness that I get when I enjoy a good meal, the bitterness of freshly brewed Espresso, or the sweetness of a mango.
Alphonso is considered by many to be one of the best mangoes in terms of sweetness, richness and flavor. It is also one of the most expensive mangoes and is grown in western India. The fruit has gotten its name from the Portuguese Nobleman Afonso de Albuquerque. He used to bring the fruit on his journeys to Goa and after him people of the Konkani district started calling it Aphoos. Later the fruit got the name Hapoos, which still is the official name for Alphonsos in South Asia.
Right now there is just no time to loose. The mango is here only for a short period and it’s all about eating as many as you possibly could.
Here are just a few ideas of how you can enjoy the fruit:
Mango Lassi
Lassi is a popular yoghurt based drink in India and Pakistan
Serves 2 (or one if you are greedy;)
2 ripe Mangos
2 cup of dahi (curd)
4-5 ice cubes
Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth in a blender. Pour in glasses and serve
Mango Cream
Serves 4
3 mangoes, pealed and cut into cubes
1 cup of milk
2 cups of whipping cream
Juice of one lemon
1. Put 2 mangoes into the blender together with the milk and the lemon juice. Blend until smooth and strain.
2. Whip the cream and mix it with the blend you prepared. Add the rest of the mango cut into small cubes.
3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours
Another yummy dessert is mango with vanilla ice cream. That’s a complete killer!
