Sweet, juicy and golden – it is easy to see why this is undoubtedly summer’s favourite fruit.
South Africa grows 15 mango varieties, mostly in the subtropical regions of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. And as a nation, we love them!
The South African harvesting season is from December to the end of April, so you will be able to find your favourite mangoes on supermarket shelves right through the summer months.
So if you love mangos as we do, then you will definitely enjoy what comes next. Read on for some mango-loving recipes that will make you feel like a food scientist.
Grilled cauliflower steaks, crispy chickpeas, and mango salad
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 cauliflower head, thickly sliced
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 mango, sliced
1 red chilli, seeded and sliced
60g shelled almonds, toasted
½ cup fresh mint leaves
1 lemon, quartered to serve
For the dressing
½ cup thick Greek-style yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ red onion, minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Brush the cauliflower slices with a little olive oil and season well. Place on the prepared baking tray and bake until charred and cooked. Set aside to cool.
In the meantime, place the chickpeas on another lined baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil, and season well. Roast until crispy. Remove and set aside.
To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients well together.
To assemble the salad, place the cauliflower into a serving dish and top with the rest of the salad ingredients. Drizzle with the dressing and serve.
Vanilla cake with mango curd
Makes: 1 cake
Ingredients
For the mango curd
1 large fresh mango, cubed
½ cup white sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
3 large eggs
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
For the cake
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 cup castor sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups self-raising flour
¾ cup milk
Method
For the curd, place the mango in a food processor and process it until smooth. Add the sugar and lemon juice and continue to process until completely smooth.
Whisk the purée and the eggs together and pour into a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously for a few minutes. Next, add the butter and cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Pour the curd through a fine sieve into a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic onto the curd to prevent skin from forming. Cool the curd before refrigerating for about 2 hours or overnight.
In the meantime, prepare the cake, beat the butter with the vanilla until light and creamy, add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add half of the flour and half of the milk and stir to combine. Add the remaining flour and milk and beat lightly until the mixture is smooth. Divide between 2 x 17cm cake tins and bake until cooked for about 30–40 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool before inverting the cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before applying the curd.
To assemble the cake, spread a little curd between the layers and the sandwich together. Pour the remaining curd over the cake and decorate as desired.
Recipes by the South African Mango Growers’ Association.
Read the latest IOL Food DigiMag here.