After I finished this ode to my favourite fruit, I found out the EU is contemplating a ban on the import of Indian mangoes because they don't meet its health and hygiene regulations. With any luck, it will all blow over, but if not, I'll have to send the suits in Brussels some of this week's mango ice-cream – just one spoonful should be enough to make them reverse their decision. If that doesn't work, at least there are some alternative sources ofmangoes.
So prized is the mango in Bangladesh that it even gets a mention in the national anthem: "The fragrance from your mango groves/Makes me wild with joy,/Ah, what a thrill." Buta mango is not amango is not amango, and I doubt Bangladeshis are thinking of the hard, mild Tommy Atkins mango that we get year round. No, I'd guess the object oftheir affections is the intensely fragrant alphonso, whose season isshort but so very sweet.
Alongside Bollywood and cricket, the alphonso is a national obsession in India: news headlines announce the start of the season; courier firms advertise specialist mango delivery services; street stalls heave under the weight of fruit. Transportation logistics mean UK supermarkets tend not to stock alphonsos, so you'll need to head to a greengrocer or market and look out for the bright yellow boxes that bear this gorgeous fruit; the pretty labels, and the tissue paper and tinsel poking out ofthe boxes, mean the fruit comes almost gift-wrapped.
Alphonsos aside, other good Indian varieties include the bright but slightly less fragrant kesar, which appears in June, while the yellow, delicate-tasting banganpali is around in May and June. By July you can delight in the Pakistani langra and chaunsa, which will keep chins wet with juice and sleeves rolled up for a few more weeks.
Chilled rice pudding with Alphonsos and lime syrup
Pandan leaf, which gives this dish a mellow, slightly coconutty aroma, can be substituted by half a vanilla pod with the seeds scraped. If you want to make your own meringue, you'll have the two egg whites left over from making the pudding. Whisk the whites in a mixer and, when they start to froth, add 120g caster sugar. Continue whisking for about 10 minutes, until glossy and firm, then spread as small nests on greaseproof paper and bake for 40 minutes in a 100C oven, until completely dry. This will make more than you need here, but they keep well in a sealed jar for up to amonth. Serves six.
100ml double cream
800ml full-fat milk
1 pandan leaf (or ½ vanilla pod)
Salt
100g pudding rice
50g caster sugar
2 egg yolks
30g meringue, broken into pieces
2 passion fruit, pulp spooned out
For the lime syrup
70ml lime juice
1 tsp grated lime zest
2 tsp caster sugar
4 alphonso mangoes (or other sweet mango), 880g gross weight, peeled and cut into 1cm dice (400g net)
Heat the oven to 130C/260F/gas mark ½. Put the cream, milk, pandan and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer on a medium-low heat. Add the rice, and simmer verygently for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the rice is semi-cooked.
Whisk the sugar and egg yolks in abowl, then slowly pour in the contents of the rice pot, whisking allthe while. Tip this mixture into a26cm x 16cm ovenproof dish and place it in a bain marie (ie, an oven tray filled with boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dish). Bake for 45 minutes, until juststarting to set but still a little runny, then carefully lift the tray outof the oven. Remove the dish from the tray and set aside to cool. Once cool, chill for at least a few hours or even overnight.
For the syrup, put the lime juice, zest and sugar in a small saucepan. On a medium heat, stir until the sugar dissolves, then set aside to cool. Pour into a bowl, add the diced mango and set aside.
Use a fork to loosen the rice, then divide between six bowls or shallow plates. Sprinkle half the meringue on top, and spoon on the mango and lime syrup mix. Top with the remaining meringue and finish with the passion fruit pulp.
Chicken supremes with mango and cream
If the name of this dish has you thinking, "That's so 1990s", you are spot on. A slightly simpler take on the theme was my standard dinner party dish in my student years. You can use alphonsos here, but it works better with a larger, slightly harder variety of mango, so the chunks keep their shape. Serves four.
4 small chicken breasts, skin on, cut in half lengthways on the diagonal
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
Salt and white pepper
2 medium mangoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
4 medium banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp English mustard powder
5g picked thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
150ml dry white wine
150ml double cream
15g tarragon, roughly chopped
Put the chicken in a bowl with a tablespoon of oil, the vinegar, half the mustard seeds, half a teaspoon of salt and a quarter-teaspoon of pepper. Mix and put in the fridge tomarinate for an hour.
Put a large nonstick sauté pan forwhich you have a lid on medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil and, once hot, put in the chicken skin side down. Fry for 12 minutes, turning halfway, until golden-brownon both sides and almost cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the mango to the pan – you shouldn't need any more oil – and fry for four minutes, stirring gently until caramelised on all sides. Transfer to another plate.
Lower the heat to medium and add the shallots. Fry gently for six minutes, stirring from time to time, until soft and starting to colour. Addthe remaining mustard seeds, the mustard powder, thyme, bay, and a quarter-teaspoon each of salt and white pepper, and cook for a minute more. Turn the heat to medium-high, add the wine and boil for a minute, then add the cream and 300ml water.
If your mangoes didn't start turning to mush during the initial cooking, return them to the pan now and boil for eight minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and reduced by a third. Otherwise, reduce the sauce first and only then add the mangoes. Add the chicken, cover, and cook forthree or so minutes, until cooked through. Sprinkle over the tarragon and serve at once.
Mango, yoghurt and cardamom ice-cream with Brazil nut biscuits
Use alphonso or another sweet variety for this ice-cream; ifthey're not super-sweet, simply increase the amount of honey. Rose water varies in intensity, and some will overpower the mango, so taste the ice-cream mix as you add it. Serves six.
2 medium sweet mangoes, peeled and roughly chopped (650g net weight)
225g Greek yoghurt
150ml double cream
1¼ tsp ground cardamom
1-3 tsp rose water, depending onvariety and strength
120g runny honey
1½ tbsp lemon juice
For the biscuits
1 egg white
50g icing sugar
130g Brazil nuts, finely sliced onanangle
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
Vegetable oil, for brushing
Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark2. Put all the ice-cream ingredients in a blender and blitz for a minute, until smooth. Pour into an ice-cream maker and churn for 25 to 30 minutes, until just frozen. (If you don't have an ice-cream machine, just freeze the mixture in a suitable container for four to five hours, beating it by hand every hour or so.) Spoon the ice-cream into a freezer container, cover and freeze for at least a couple of hours.
For the biscuits, put the egg white and icing sugar in a medium bowl and whisk smooth. Add the nuts and orange zest, and stir to combine. Line a large baking tray with parchment and brush lightly with oil. Spoon 4cm-wide dollops of the biscuit mix on to the tray, spacing them well apart. Dip the spoon in water, to prevent it sticking, then gently flatten each dollop into a 6cm round using the back of the spoon.
Bake for 15 minutes, until starting to turn golden-brown, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool before lifting them from the paper. Serve two per portion, alongside theice-cream.
Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.
Follow Yotam on Twitter.
