Mango is still very much in season and there are a lot of foods and drinks that you can make out of it. Mangoes have great vitamin C and Vitamin A (β-Carotene) contents and they are delicious to eat. In an earlier post, I talked about the goodness in the mango skin. Another selling point of the mango is the fiber content. It contains an appreciable amount of fiber, both soluble and insoluble fiber. Dietary fiber helps to maintain good bowel health; it lowers cholesterol levels, aids in weight management and reduces risks of diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and diseases of the colon to mention a few.
In my quest to find simple and healthy ways to utilize the mango fruit apart from eating it directly and making smoothies, I found out about the mango soup from a friend. She explained how she makes it and I thought it was simple enough for me to make.
The recipe is like that of a pottage; the difference is replacing the yam or tuber with mango pulp. So, I put a small pot on the fire, I added a little vegetable oil and I sautéed finely chopped onions and garlic. I added some seasonings like rosemary, curry, thyme and black pepper (I saw a Chef do this at a food demonstration function in Lagos and I decided to try It. it is supposed to help the herbs infuse their flavor into the oil). I added some blended tomatoes, bell pepper (Tatashe) and scotch bonnet (rodo) into the sautéed onion and garlic mix. A very small quantity of a bouillon cube was added; no salt. I had some blended dried crayfish (shrimps) to it and one prepared snail. Some water was added to the stew and it cooked for a few minutes before I added the mango pulp (You can blend the mango pulp to get a creamy paste).
I stirred and allowed to simmer for a few minutes before turning of the heat. It was ready in less than 30 minutes.
I was really skeptical about this so I prepared a very small quantity. It tasted absolutely delicious. I wish I had boiled a slice or two of yam or rice to eat it with. The sweetness of mango was obvious but the tangy taste of the tomatoes made it like a sweet and sour sauce. The scotch bonnet added to the heat and I think that the next time I would make it spicier. You can try it if you like.
