Mango recipe madness

Summer’s arrival signalled the return of another festive favourite – mangoes, the ‘good mood food’! Read on for our favourite mango recipes, plus a few top tips to ensure each mango you sink your teeth into this summer is juicy one.

Prawn, Mango, Fennel Wreath Salad

Ingredients

• 2 medium fennel bulbs
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 200ml crème fraîche
• 1⁄4 cup mint leaves, shredded
• 3 mangoes
• 100g baby rocket
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled into ribbons
• 1 bunch radish, thinly sliced
• 1kg cooked medium prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1⁄4 cup pistachio kernels, toasted and chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil and lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Use a mandolin to thinly slice the fennel into a large bowl. Pour over the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Combine the crème fraiche and mint, season. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove the cheeks from the mango. Carefully scoop out the flesh, thinly slice. Drain the fennel. Combine the rocket and shallots, arrange in a wreath shape on a large board or platter. Top with fennel, cucumber, radish, prawns and mango. Sprinkle with pistachios. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve with mint crème fraiche and lemon wedges.

Serves 6. Prep 20 mins. Marinate 30 mins.

Barbecue Mojito Mango Cheeks

Ingredients

• 4 large ripe mangoes
• 100ml white rum
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1⁄4 cup white sugar

Mint sugar

• 1⁄2 cup white sugar
• 1⁄4 cup mint leaves

• Mint ice cream, to serve

Method

For the mint sugar, put sugar and mint in a processor. Process until well combined. Spoon into a jar and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut the cheeks from the mango stone. Score the flesh. Place scored side up onto a tray. Combine the rum and lime in a jug. Spoon 1 tablespoon rum mixture over each scored mango cheek. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar over each mango cheek. Preheat a barbecue plate on high. Cut a sheet of baking paper to fit the barbecue plate and place onto the hot barbecue plate. Place mango cheeks cut side down, onto the paper. Barbecue for 4-5 minutes until caramelized. Sprinkle with mint sugar and serve with scoops of mint ice cream. Tip So the barbecue stays hot and mangoes don’t stew, it’s best not to overcrowd the barbecue plate, so you may need to cook in 2-3 batches depending on the size of your barbecue. Serves 4, hot or chilled. Prep 20 mins.

Thai Chicken Salad with Pickled Lemongrass Mango

Ingredients

• 2 large mangoes
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup caster sugar
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 2 sticks lemongrass, thinly sliced (see tip)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• Cooked rice noodles and herbs (eg. Thai basil, mint and coriander) to serve

Chicken patties:

650g chicken breast fillets, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons red curry paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 egg white
2 tablespoons cornflour
1⁄3 cup shredded coconut
60g green beans, trimmed, thinly sliced into rounds
1 cup coriander leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Cut the cheeks from the mango stone. Carefully scoop out the flesh. Thinly slice. Place into a bowl with the onion. Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and lemongrass in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in the fish sauce. Cool for 5 minutes then pour over the mango and onion. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Place chicken into a food processor. Pulse to roughly chop. Add the curry paste, fish sauce, egg white, cornflour and coconut. Pulse until just combined. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the beans and coriander. Shape mixture into patties using damp hands. Place onto a tray. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes, if time allows. Preheat barbecue plate on medium. Drizzle both sides of the chicken patties with oil. Barbecue for 3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Serve chicken patties with pickled mango, noodles and herbs. Tip 1 Use the back of a knife to bruise the lemongrass then thinly slice the white and lime green part only for this recipe. Tip 2 You can replace the chicken with 650g skinless, pin boned salmon to make Thai salmon cakes. Serves 4. Prep 30 mins. Cook 30 mins.

Get the most out of your mango!

What should you look for when choosing a mango? How can you tell if it’s ripe, and what is the best way to preserve its freshness? According to the Australian Mangoes association, the secret to choosing a mango is using your nose. A ripe fresh mango should have a fragrant tropical aroma, which will vary in intensity from very subtle to strong depending on the variety. A ripe mango will also be firm and give slightly to the touch, so avoid mangoes that are hard, very soft or bruised. Also avoid mangoes that are wrinkled or shrivelled as they will be overripe with an unpleasant fermented flavour.

Bought a mango that isn’t quite ripe enough? Simply store it at room temperature between 18 -22°C and out of the sun for a few days until it ripens – storing it in a paper bag for a few days will also help it along. When stored properly a mango should have a shelf life of about a week, and while the mango will not ripen in the refrigerator, it can be kept chilled there once ripe, or it can be frozen, dried, cooked in syrup or puréed. Yum!

To get the best taste out of your mangoes, keep these tips in mind:

• Mangoes should not be refrigerated until they are ripe
• Fully ripe mangoes can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days
• Never store mangoes in plastic bags – mangoes need air!

Recipes, tips and images courtesy of Australian Mangoes. For more great mango recipes, visit www.mangoes.net.au