A Pop and A Fizz: MPG Turns 1

Mango Power Girl turns one today with a pop and a fizz :) I have met some wonderful people thanks to MPG, and am really thankful for all of you. Your feedback has inspired me to get better and better, so please keep enjoying and thank you! It has been a great first year and I look forward to even better ahead.

It is hot in Seattle, just perfect for another ice pop. Yes, it finally feels like August! This time my ice pops are made of nice, ripe mango, strawberries, and mint julep from our edible garden! When you take a bite out of these ice pops, that wonderful tingly mint cools you off even more.

I had some liquid for the pops left over, so while they were freezing I added alcohol and seltzer for a delicious fizzy drink!

I used:
a sweet, ripe mango
a handful of fresh strawberries
a few mint julep leaves
a squeeze of lime
some simple syrup, a scoop of sorbet, or a spoon of sugar -- whatever you have handy to sweeten

My method:
1. Add the ingredients above in a blender, purée, taste, pour into molds. Freeze for a few hours and enjoy.
2. Pour any remaining mixture in your favorite glass, add some alcohol, seltzer, and cheers!

Mango Power Lassi

For everyone who has been wondering -- why haven't there been more Mango Power posts? -- here's an easy one, my Mango Power Lassi! To tell you the truth, I have been incredibly disappointed this summer because I have had a hard time finding good mangoes.

There have been plenty of OK mangoes, but they are either bumped and bruised, way too expensive, or just not the type I like to eat. One thing most people might not know if they have not lived in a mango producing region: you cannot have machines processing your mangoes. Everything must be plucked, picked, gathered, and packed by hand. Like most berries, mangoes are a delicate fruit and they bruise easily.

Unlike berries though, mangoes continue to ripen after being picked. So if a mango was bumped too much when it was picked or packaged, you might not see the bruises until it ripens. What you get is a mango which is totally destroyed on the inside, while the skin and outside still look good. Living so far away from mango producing regions, I have run into this problem quite a bit and have been heartbroken for throwing away multiple expensive, ruined mangoes :(

When I do find good mangoes, I either eat them straight (not as interesting to blog, am I right ;) or I turn them into something pretty simple, like this lassi. Last time I found a good mango I did just that!

I also want to point out that I picked up my cute jar glasses on one of our local island excursions. I thought they would be perfect to serve a little kid a drink as they are also sturdy and practical. There is one great little kid named Finn, who would have been the perfect customer. Our awesome little cousin Finn and his parents moved to California last year, and he turns 4 years old this week! So, this post is for him!

Hey Finn, see the spinning green bug you left us? It hangs on our porch and spins around every time the wind blows. We miss you Finn :) come visit Seattle! and I will make you a Mango Power Lassi :)

I used:
1 cup plain fresh yogurt
1/4 cup milk or water (approx.)
1 mango, peeled and cubed
a pinch of ginger powder

My method:
1. Blend the yogurt and the mango in a blender.
2. Add milk or water to thin out the mixture as much as you like, then add ginger powder and blend. The liquid amount is an approximation and will change based on the thickness of your yogurt and the juicyness of your mango. (Skip the ginger if it is too spicy for kids, add vanilla or cardamom!)
3. Taste, then add a teaspoon of sugar if it is not sweet enough. My mango was pretty sweet, so I enjoyed it just like it was.
4. Pour it in a glass of your choice, add ice cubes, and enjoy!

Mango Shrikhand

May is my month! I was born in May not too many years ago, and where I was born in India, this is a hot, Summer month. There, May is also the month of mangoes. If I was in India now, I would be eating a mango with every meal and some in between. I am making May the month of mangoes, with many if not all of my posts dedicated to the "King of Fruits." This was also the first batch of the mango season which I found ripe and sweet enough in Seattle, so the first dish I made was Mango Shrikhand.

Shrikhand ("shree-khund") is yogurt drained of all its liquid, then sweetened and spiced with any flavors you like. It is not so much an Indian dessert as it is regional, and very popular in my home state of Gujarat. Yogurt itself is widely eaten all over India, especially in Summer because of its cooling properties.

I loved shrikhand so much as a kid that I would eat it plain, even with no fruit, just cardamom. My school was right next door to a big creamery -- the largest producer of packaged shrikhand in India (it was like going to school next to Breyers). Once each year the school took us on a field trip, a tour of the shrikhand manufacturing and packaging plant; boy! how I waited for that trip!

Usually the shrikhand we ate at home was not packaged, we made it ourselves as we also made our own yogurt. Here in Seattle though, it is harder to get the milk to curdle with our relatively cool, damp climate. We still make yogurt at home, but often turn to the best we can find locally. In Seattle we are fortunate to have many alternatives!

Greek Gods is one locally manufactured yogurt that has been perfect for shrikhand. They are available all over the U.S. -- try their Store Locator. Greek Gods yogurt is a strained yogurt, so it cuts my shrikhand-making work in half. It is so fresh and high quality that it is the closest thing to the home-made shrikhand I grew up eating!

If you can't find Greek Gods, for one alternative you can use regular yogurt, with a little more work. You will need to tie it up and hang it in a cheese cloth overnight, to drain the water. Kefir cheese and any other plain, Mediterranean style, strained yogurt will work the best and you may be able to avoid the draining step. Strained yogurts are also manufactured with a higher pectin content, so they will require less sugar than a regular yogurt you strain at home.

Depending on how fresh the yogurt is and other factors, its tartness will vary. Sugar levels vary widely, and this is one reason it is hard to give precise measurements in recipes for traditional foods. You have to trust your tongue, taste as you go, and learn by doing.

Shrikhand is traditionally eaten with poori or roti, but once you taste it, you'll eat it all by itself! Below is my recipe for Mango Shrikhand ...

I used:
2 cups Greek Gods plain yogurt
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tspn ground cardamom (I've seen people over-do this lately and it kills me! Don't use too much cardamom.)
2-3 tbspn crushed nuts
1 ripe and diced Ataulfo mango (Mango tip for Seattleites: Ballard Town & Country has had a few amazing batches, but you've got to pick them properly! Ataulfo are currently in season and widely available ... please leave some for me ;)

My method:
1. Take the yogurt in a medium bowl and hand-beat with a whisk, till it is nice and smooth. It takes about 3 minutes.
2. Mix in the sugar next. Taste it! If it tastes acidic or "too yogurty," you need more sugar! 1/2 cup is what I needed to turn this yogurt into Shrikhand, you might need more or less.
3. Add the cardamom and mix.
4. Cover and refrigerate. It will solidify slightly, too.
5. Right before serving, top with nuts and mangoes.

The Nigella Express is here!

I recently went to meet the "Domestic Goddess" herself, Nigella Lawson, at the Nigella Express book signing in Seattle. I was exhausted from a long day at work, but I waited eagerly with two of her books in my hands. Soon after I arrived, the lady sitting next to me said "She's here! I held the door for her on her way in, and she really is that beautiful!" LOL!

I was so pleasantly surprised by Nigella; she is every wonderful inch of what she portrays on TV. Nigella began her appearance with Q&A -- all of it entertaining, revealing, and funny. She loves to speak and does so as well as she writes, with fluid and vivid, engaging words.

One of the first questions someone asked Nigella was "What did you eat today?" She gave a long list, from oatmeal for breakfast to oysters and mac & cheese at Schuckers, then Northwest peppermint bark, and that afternoon, a whole bowl of nuts with drinks :) Nigella loves to eat! Some people have joked about her weight, but she is clearly comfortable in her own skin. She stood tall, beautiful yet simple, just like you see her on TV & in books.

Nigella mentioned that many of her friends are chefs, but she herself prefers being a cook. As Nigella put it, it's one thing to chisel a chrysanthemum out of a radish, but all people really need to know is how to cook and enjoy their basic every day dinner. That's a philosophy I personally follow, as well, cooking better and eating more consciously are not about being more impressive to others, they are about living better.

In her new shows and book, Nigella shares simple recipes and methods ... kinda like the no-nonsense kitchen gadgets she is known to use. The very book she was promoting -- Nigella Express -- has those recipes she likes to cook "everyday," when she doesn't have a lot of time. All the recipes in this book have from 2 to 7 simple steps.

Nigella really cooks and eats what she publishes, too! She shared with us a great story of how she cooks lunch for her production team every morning, as they film in her home, and then daily they gather together for lunch. Now that's a great hostess! Nigella has such a down to earth and believable vibe.

After the Q&A, I was even more excited to meet her and have my copies of her books signed. All the beautiful food in the book was making me ever hungrier! I have to add that the University Book Store at UW in Seattle did an excellent job of hosting, too by making 4 of her recipes in ample amounts, freely available. I tried the Moonblush Tomatoes, and the Rocky Road Crunch Bars which I had seen her make on the Food Network a week before! They were both excellent.

When my turn came to meet Nigella, I asked her to address my copy of How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking to my mother. I told Nigella that my mother is the domestic goddess in my life, and then in signing the book, she addressed my mother as "THE domestic goddess" :)

In Nigella Express, I wanted Nigella to sign the Mango Split recipe page. It looks SO yummy, I can't wait to make it!

Nigella said very sweetly, "And, why the mango?" I replied, "Well, Nigella you see I love mangoes, and you make great use of mangoes in your dishes, and I would love to feature your dish on my blog."

Nigella smiled and said, "Wonderful!" Then, she surprised me with a story about how much her children love mangoes, too. A summer or so ago, they started a pop band and called themselves "Mango Mania!"

We shared a good laugh, posed for our photo together and said our good byes. My thanks to the wonderful lady at the bookstore for taking the shot! Here's Nigella with a great smile, though I might have done better:

Even though I stood in a long line with some hundreds of people, I connected with this down to earth domestic diva. Nigella was personable and she loves mangoes, too!

I can't wait to make some of the wonderful vegetarian dishes --and there are plenty! -- from Nigella Express. As I feel I've mastered and perhaps personalized them, I will publish my results here, too!

Pay a visit to Nigella.com .

By the Power of Mango -> Pie!

I said on my Twitter I would make a Mango Pie, and here it is. I am not much of a pie girl unless you are talking about pi, because I do love Number Theory, but that's a story for another time ;)

I too often see the same old pies, apples & pumpkin. Why not something more interesting, like a Mango Pie :)

I used:

• 3 cups ripe mango, cut into small cubes (if you use frozen, give it plenty time to thaw else you'll have a soupy pie!)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (I would cut this to 1/4 cup if the mangoes are extra sweet)
• 2 tbspns all purpose flour
• 1 tbspn freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tspn freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tspn ginger powder
• 2 pie crusts made from the Vegetarian Times recipe -- see that below -- scaled for 1 crust :) because I have a non-traditional, 8" pie dish

My method:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F (220 C).
2. In a large bowl, toss your mangoes in lemon juice.
3. In a separate bowl, mix all your dry ingredients evenly.
4. Add the dry mix to the mangoes and toss until the sugar is dissolved in the mango juice, and until everything is nicely coated with the sugar mix.
5. Set a pie crust into your dish and add the filling, almost up to the brim.
6. Make sure the mangoes are nice and even, then add the top crust & fold it as you fancy. Make sure you cut vents on the top after you seal the edges.
7. Bake it at 425 F (220 C) for 15-20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 F (175 C) and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes. Your baking time will vary based on the crusts you use, and your elevation -- longer by a couple minutes for every 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) in elevation.

This was the first time I tried this crust. It was the trickiest part as the top looked finished, but it was hard to tell if the bottom was. To avoid this next time, I'm going to try pre-baking the crust before adding the filling. That way I'll know exactly that when the sides and edges are finished, it's finished!

8. When it is finished, the top is nice & golden brown and fruit is bubbling from the center.
9. I topped it off with vanilla ice cream to serve.

The Vegetarian Times 9" Eggless Piecrust

They used:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbspn sugar (I used 2 tbspn brown sugar)
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 1/4 cup ice cold water

Their method:

1. Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor several times to combine.
2. Add butter pieces and pulse a few times, until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
3. Add water to it, and pulse until the dough comes together.
4. Transfer to a sheet or plastic wrap, then shape it out into a nice thick disk.
5. Make sure the dough is wrapped tightly, and let it chill few hours before use -- or overnight, like I did.

Mango :: King of Fruits

I searched all Summer for great mangoes in Seattle, and I have to say they were hard to find. Read on for information on finding mangoes in Seattle, Indian mangoes in New York City, mangoes in India, serving suggestions, and finally some nutrition information.

Mangoes in Seattle
The best mangoes I found were the "champagne" variety, with the best among them at Pike Place Market and seasonal produce stands like Top Banana in Ballard. Champagne mangoes are sweeter and have fewer fibers than most Mexican mangoes. A prime example is pictured above.

Indian Mangoes in New York City
Indian mangoes are still far better than these, however. In New York City, Indian mangoes are expensive but are now supposed to be available, in season, like at Patel Brothers. Indian mangoes arrived in the United States this past May, 2007 for the first time in 18 years, but I wonder if they all arrived on the East Coast and never left!

We saw a YouTube video of 2 greedy Indian brothers who somehow got their hands on boxes and boxes of Indian mangoes, when they first arrived in the U.S. in the middle of the night in New York City -- so, who are these people and why has this been video since been taken down?? Are they hogging all the Indian mangoes? I think so!

Check this out: well-reputed restaurants like Tabla in NYC here - stocking up on Indian mangoes (look at the stacks he's got!). In that post, they are rightly called the "Mango Mafia." If this "Mango Mafia" continues, how will other Americans or Indian-Americans get their hands on them? It isn't fair! The U.S. and Indian governments need to step in, and make sure these divine fruits go straight to local grocery stores and markets like Wegmans, Safeway, Giant, QFC, et al., for everyone to enjoy! If Indian mangoes are only available to a few wealthy (greedy) people eating in fine restaurants, their popularity and shipments will not increase as they should.

Mangoes in India
If you are in India, it's a completely different story. There mangoes come straight from your grandfather's or aunt's farm, or perhaps you picked them yourself from a local tree :) India, the homeland of mangoes & Mango Power Girl, produces half of the world's mangoes. There are varieties you can't imagine, more than 1,000 of them!

The peak of mango season in India is May, and the season lasts from March to August, depending on the region and variety. During those months Indians eat mango in every form. The best way is just by itself, or as a side dish to the meal. Other popular ways include freshly squeezed mango pulp, lassis, shakes, ice creams, raw mango pickles, chutneys, spices, and the list goes on!

My favorite variety growing up in India was Alphonso mango, which originally came from the region I grew up in, Gujarat and the neighboring state of Maharashtra. Alphonso is the variety reportedly now available in the U.S., although again I have not yet found it in Seattle.

Serving Suggestions
I make the most of my mangoes by serving them with complementary fruits, by topping vanilla ice cream (my favorite combination!), or by making a mango shake. Mangoes are best matched with strawberry, kiwi, peach, and pineapple. You can also just cube and eat!



If you feel ambitious and would love a rich mango dessert, try out my fellow blogger, Applemint's Mango Phirni. For our household a nice orange Mango Pie will be next!

For now, I'll be cubing and freezing as many mangoes as I can get for Winter :) Here is some of my frozen crop ... It was hard not to eat all of it fresh, but when I think about how much I'll pay for Trader Joe's frozen mangoes in Winter, it's easy to freeze :-P

Good for you, too! ... Nutrition Information
Mangoes not only taste great, they are great for your health.

Ripe mangoes have enzymes that aid digestion. For this reason, Indians tend to eat mangoes along with a meal, and use dried mango powder as a protein tenderizer and spice blend.

As you may have guessed from their bold color, mangoes are rich in antioxidants and anticardiovascular properties. They are high in iron, beta carotene, magnesium, and potassium. Mangoes top the list of foods recently discovered to fight some cancers. Finally, mangoes are considered perfect food for pregnant women, kids, and just about everyone!

Enjoy mangoes and feel good about it, too!

Outsourced [to eat mangoes!]

If you haven't already seen Outsourced, it is a must-see in the line of Bend it like Beckham, Monsoon Wedding, and other great fusion, Indian-Western movies. This film does a brilliant job of capturing the emotions that run with the outsourcing era both in India and the USA. Outsourced also offers real cultural insight, many hilarious moments, and a touching story.

The filmaker has shown exactly what it feels like to be a foreigner in India. My husband, Brian could identify with scenes such as being hounded by cabbies as soon as you land in Mumbai -- except that Brian (lucky boy!) had a Hindi-speaking wife to get those locals off his back ;)

There are many food-related lessons in Outsourced, including:

1. How to eat a mango like Indians do ... my favorite scene :D

2. Indian hospitality surrounding food - No matter how little you have in your home, you offer the best of what you have to your guest, first before yourself.

3. Indians never throw food away. You personally give leftover food to the poor, to anyone in need, or to animals. The fact that millions are living in extreme poverty and hunger in India is felt honestly in this movie. Showing that is a part of the film without dominating the story.

Go see it! For Seattlelites: Outsourced is currently playing at the Majestic Bay in Ballard.

p.s. I also love how Outsourced is about a guy who is based in Seattle. Most of the film is in India, but you do see glimpses of our local city life including Pike Place Market, Westlake Park, our Central Library, mountain views, etc. You hear tuneage from local artist Eddie Vedder. The Indian music was also great, it made me wanna dance!

Mango Power Cookies

I confess: against conventional wisdom, I make up my own recipes for baked goods (and lots of other things!)

I bake a lot of what we eat as a healthy replacement for frying, but for a long time I did not consider myself a traditional baker of cakes, cookies, etc. You always hear that baking is "a precise art" & I don't like to follow rules when I cook.

Now I'm past all that -- I do it my way. How do I manage something unconventional like Mango Power Cookies? Here are a few guidelines:

1. Start with basic recipes -- then change things around.
   
2. Keep in mind at all times -- how is this going to taste?
   
3. Look for healthier alternatives such as baking without eggs, reducing butter, or natural color for decoration.
   

With these in mind I have realized nothing needs to be a certain way, even in baking. What I call Mango Power Cookies are an example of my method in action.

I love mangoes and I've eaten them in many different forms, but I thought why is it almost nobody puts them in cookies? So, I took a basic butter cookie recipe I had seen on FoodTV and powered it up! with mango, hazelnuts, and orange zest! I make them without eggs, but you can used eggs if you like.

For Mango Power Cookies, I used:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 1 tspn orange flower water by A. Monteux
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  
• equivalent of 1 egg replaced with Ener-G Egg Replacer
• a handful of finely chopped Holmquist hazelnuts
• pulp from 1 ripe champagne mango
• zest of 1 orange

For their glaze, I used:

• 3-4 tbsns of orange juice (without pulp, just the stuff you drink - even better use mango juice!)
• 1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar
• 1 or 2 hazelnuts, microplaned

My method:

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Beat butter, sugar, orange flower water, mango pulp, & salt till all fluffed up. Beat in the egg.

Mix chopped hazelnuts and orange zest with flour. Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients until the dough forms.

Refrigerate the dough for about 3 hours until nice & cold.

When it's cold, roll the dough out into about a 1/8 inch thick sheet. Use any cookie cutter to cut into shapes.

Put them about an inch apart on a cookie sheet, & let them bake until they are pale golden brown around the edges and the bottom -- about 12 minutes.

After baking, let the cookies sit till they cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, take confectioner's sugar and beat in the orange juice until it's a nice smooth glaze, no lumps!

Take the cooled cookies & dip the tops in the glaze. While the glaze is still wet, shave hazelnuts with a microplane right onto the cookies!

Let the glaze dry completely before storing the cookies, but not until you try one or a few ;)

Once I had these handy, they were a great mango snack when I didn't have time to slice a mango. They taste & smell like mango with a hint of orange. The hazelnut grounded the flavor, making them less buttery tasting than plain butter cookies.

We ate them with the Original Market Spice Tea, which has a strong cinnamon and orange flavor.

See more photos from a recent batch of Mango Power Cookies: