Mangonada #FoodieReads

This post was inspired by The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi. This is the third book I have read by the author and each time I enjoy the food inspiration, but there is something off about the stories. They are a little too soap-operay or they are tied up with a bow a little too easily and feel rushed Still I read them cover to cover. So, that is saying something, right?

On the Page

The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi centers on Priya who grew up in India but now lives in San Francisco. She returns home, secretly engaged to an American. But she drags her feet on breaking the news to her family and, while she is there, they insist on her going through with the "bride-seeing" ceremony portion of an arranged marriage. Honestly, that is where I lost all respect for the character; in her cowardice, she led on not just her parents, but the young man and his parents.

Without spoiling too much of the story, she does finally tell her family about her fiancé. And she does return to America. There is a huge twist. Well, I think it was supposed to be a huge twist, but it was actually jarring that that was supposed to shock the reader. I guess the message was that "other than Indian" has tiers of acceptance still. It was actually kind of sad.

Regardless, I always enjoy Malladi's food passages. And, in this book, there was so much about the mango.

Summer, while I was growing up, was all about mangoes. Ripe, sweet mangoes that dripped juices down your throat, down your neck. The smell of a ripe mango would still evoke my taste buds, my memories, and for a while, I would be a child again, and it would be a hot summer day in India. (pg. 2)

"Cutting mangoes for making pickles is a skill that is honed over years of practice, under the critical eye of one’s mother, mother-in-law, aunt, or some other anal older female relative. In the olden days when joint families were the norm and women didn’t work out of the home, wives and daughters were trained in cutting mangoes as they were in everything else that pertained to keeping order in the household. There is a certain precision to cutting pickle mangoes, a certain methodology, and I was sorely lacking in both" (pg. 43).

Malladi even offers recipes for Raw Mangoes Avakai (South Indian Mango Pickle), Rava Ladoo, and Mango Fappu (Lentils). But I decided to head to the kitchen to make one of our favorite frozen mango treats. I will be trying the mango pickle soon.

In the Glass

Have you ever heard of a 'mangonada'? I hadn't before a couple of years ago. It's frozen mangoes with chile, spices, salt, and Mexican candies. I decided to add in some other fruits to my version. to make a mangonada riff with strawberry papaya, blood orange, and two passionfruits. It was the evening of a crazy heat wave here on the Monterey Peninsula. The mercury was still above 85 degrees Fahrneheit - at 8 o'clock in the evening; I was complaining that my eyeballs were sweating. My brain was addled by heat,

Ingredients

serves 4

• 6 or 7 cups cubed frozen mangoes

• 1 strawberry papaya, peeled and cubed

• 1/2 cup milk (we used a dairy-free oat milk)

• juice from 1 blood orange

• juice from 1 lime

• water as needed

• Tajín, to taste, or other chile-lime-salt blends (Trader Joe's has one)

• 2 passionfruits for garnish

• Also needed: blender or food processor

Procedure

Place frozen mango chunks, cubed strawberry papaya, juice from one blood orange, and juice from one lime in a blender. Blend, adding additional water, as needed until mixture reaches desired consistency.

To serve, pour or scoop the mixture into individual serving glasses. Add a generous sprinkle of Tajín or other chile-lime-salt blend. Then top with passionfruit pulp.

I am adding this to the July #FoodieReads link-up.