Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

Have I ever mentioned how OBSESSED with mango I am? Have you tried it? I promise if you try it IN a country where it originates, you will also LOVE it. It is amazing. On its own, in a drink, for dessert, with dinner--you name it, it's delicious.

Taiwan isn't like the States where you can buy produce when it is not in season. We have to wait all winter for our precious mangoes to come back. They are the BEST thing about Taiwan summers. Hot and humid do not even begin to describe the discomfort we feel during summertime. But you give me a mango and I am a happy, happy girl (I mean, just look at that mouthwatering juice draining out in the picture above).

When the markets started selling their piles and piles of this sweet, succulent fruit, I started out by buying three. I usually buy produce once a week, so I suppose my intention was that they would last all week. Nope. I'm pretty sure I (with a little bit of Jadyn's help) ate them all in one day--or else I would have if I hadn't stopped myself. So the next week I bought four mangoes, again with the intention they would last all week. We had one with our Pineapple-Mango Salmon (left) for dinner that night. The next day Jadyn and I polished the remaining three off.


Is there such thing as eating too much of the same fruit? Maybe I should look into that. When Cody seemed a tad disgusted as I told him I ate three whole mangoes in a day, I defended myself by saying, "Jadyn helped me... And they're really not that big... And it is fruit, so it's healthy!" Then I quickly added, "Can we go get mango bing (right) this weekend... I want it REALLY, REALLY BAD."

I decided to venture out from my weekly fresh [large] bowl of mango and start adding in a little variety. I also figured I need to get my fill before I'm stuck with NO mangoes in July when we're in Utah. AND I need to gorge myself while it is still summer; when summer is over, so is Mango season (Boo!). Here are some delicious mango recipes I thought I'd share with any other mango-lovers out there!


As I was on the search for good recipes one day, I came across this Mango-Colada recipe on Our Best Bites. I was more than excited to try it out. I must admit I was slightly disappointed. It was good, but the coconut cream overpowers the mango taste way too much. So I made it again, substituting the coconut cream with 1/2 tsp. coconut extract. Aaahhh... much better. The latter is more icy (above, right), with less of a smoothie texture, but tastes much better (at least to me) because the mango flavor is stronger. Yet it still has a hint of coconut. Delish.

Another day I was on a search for an authentic Mango Sticky Rice recipe. This is a common dessert in Thailand. The first time I had it was probably three or so years ago when Cody's Thai "sister," Belle, from his cohort at Thunderbird made it for "the family." I was skeptical, but it was SO good. Then Leone and I tried to replicate it last year. I'll be honest, all we did was make sticky rice and top it with coconut cream, a sprinkle of sugar, and fresh mangoes and other fruits (fresh pineapple, strawberries, nectarines, etc.). This ended up being a delicious lunch for Michelle and I on many occasions. Then our little family went to Thailand and tried the real thing. It was a bit different than what we had been doing. It was sweet, it was salty, it was sticky, it was chewy, it was creamy, it was juicy. It was, in one word: INCREDIBLE.

Luckily, I came across this site, where they claim to have "Authentic Thai Recipes direct from Thailand." Hmmm... sounds good to me! Browsing through the site, it seemed to be true. I couldn't wait to try the Mango Sticky Rice recipe. Literally, I couldn't wait; I didn't have the exact ingredients the recipe called for, so I improvised with what I had on hand. The person writing for the site has notes at the end of the recipe, which sound a bit anal. I understand wanting the dish to be authentic and blah, blah, blah, but come on! So I just tossed those tid bits out. I used leftover rice from the fridge even though he specifically said not to (apparently he is not the queen of leftovers like me...so I get lazy, so sue me). I used coconut cream from whatever brand I had in my cupboard. I used the reddish-orange mango I had already purchased from the market. And you know what, it was STILL incredible!! I do want to make the dish with a yellow mango though (I think it does compliment this dish better; the red/orange ones are too sweet)... all in good time.

If you want to try this dish with leftover sticky rice from last night's dinner like I did (it sure makes preparing it super fast!), then prepare the rice sauce as directed. Pour enough into your left over (cold) rice until small puddles form. Microwave the rice mixture for one minute. Stir and let sit for a few minutes. Your rice should soak up the moisture and be soft again. Then add more sauce until you get the "somewhat dry and sticky" consistency the recipe describes.

This recipe was incredible. It tasted just like I remember the dish in Thailand--even with my variations. Try it! Even if you don't have good mangoes, use your favorite fruit. The sweet/salty rice is the best, best, best!!

Lastly, I made Mango-Raspberry Crisp. One fruit I have missed/craved a lot while living here is peaches. As soon as I tried this mango crisp dish, I immediately decided, "who needs peaches when you have mangoes?" I think I'll just substitute from now on. It was great. In fact, I think I'll skip the raspberries next time (and I ADORE raspberries), because I can only get expensive imported frozen ones. I am certain it will still be fabulous without them.


Mango-Raspberry Crisp
Filling:
4 cups chopped peeled mango (about 4)
2 cups raspberries
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
2/3 cup flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 375. Spray 11 x 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray. To prepare filling, place fruit in bowl, add vanilla. Combine brown sugar, flour, and ginger in small bowl, then toss with fruit. Spoon filling into baking dish. To prepare topping, combine dry ingredients in bowl, then add melted butter. Mix until wet and small clumps form. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Best when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
(Adapted from myrecipes.com.)

If you can't get good mangoes where you live, I promise that if you come visit us during the dreadful summer months I WILL make some of these delicious dishes for you.