Mango chaat

The theme for Jihva( JFI) this month is Mangoes. Mangoes in US are nowhere close to mangoes from home, but complaining doesn't help. We made a conscious decision to live in this country, and so we have to live with mangoes from South America till mangoes from India makes its way here. So hopefully next spring we will be blogging like crazy about mangoes from back home.

Anyway, living here doesn't mean you can't have memories. In Kerala, usually during the long summer vacation, it is customary that all kids are send to stay with their cousins or to their mother's home. There is stiff competition at the house where all the kids gather to get to the first mango that falls of the tree when the winds sweep through. Oh..I remember the excited squeal of the lucky kid who chances upon the mango hiding under dried leaves. For the more energetic and for those who don't have patience for the mangoes to fall off, there are enough stones in the yard to try their throwing skills. Man, it was fun but it was tough competition too….But grandparents had their own secret stashes of mangoes, often used to bribe kids to put up their best behaviour.

For this event, I made some mango chaat as I was looking for something new,something I never had before. I had chaat before but not the mango kind, with added onions and cucumber. I was unsure of how it would all mix together, but the chaat masala binds all different flavors together.

Recipe source: 500 indian recipes

Method

Combine roasted peanuts, chopped mango, chopped cucumber, grapes and any other fruits that you can find. You can also add onions( I added chives as they are abundant in my garden) and a green chili for heat. Sprinke some lime juice. Adjust seasonings to taste. Set aside for about 20 mins for flavors to combine well. Just before serving, sprinkle some chaat masala. The burst of flavors are so refreshing, and this is a dish that is so easy to make . Perfect as a snack or for brunch.

So head over to Indira's blog for the round up.