Mango mantra
Mango is the flavour of the season. And interestingly, chefs in the city are doing something more exciting than the usual aam panna or chutney and salads. Using mango with a variety of ingredients like salmon, pepper, breads, etc, chefs are twisting and turning this summer fruit to give you exotic combinations!
For starters, chef Nishant Choubey, executive sous chef, Dusit Bird Hotels, is busy making a white chocolate and mango fondant with mango foam and 24k gold leaf for his guests. He uses mango puree with castor sugar, plain flour and eggs to make a sinfully yum combo.
“I have used ingredients which will complement the flavour of mango. For instance, white chocolate doesn’t really have a strong flavour of its own, yet is delicious. And then, since chocolate starts melting faster than mango, at the end of the dish the fruit will still remain raw and retain its flavour. Mango foam will make the entire dish light and 24k gold leaf makes it rich,” he says.
Ever heard of safeda aam being used with jalapeno chillies, black peppercorn, lettuce and cucumber? If not, then you must check out what the chefs are trying at the Zura Bistro Bar and Bakery in Gurgaon. “Mango is very gracefully added into a salsa served in martini glass with grilled shrimps that have a hint of balsamic vinegar. We have tried to maintain the natural flavour of mango in the uncooked form along with all fresh and soothing summer ingredients such as cucumber and lettuce. All the dressings are very basic — salt, pepper and lemon with a tinge of spice added by using jalapeno chillies,” says chef Dheeraj of Zura Bistro Bar Bakery, Gurgaon.
Yet another interesting twist to the mango is Timbales de salmon con aroma de mango by chef Nuria of Olive Beach. Here, the chef has tactfully combined smoked salmon, bread, mango cream, dill, sprigs of chives and onions.
Adding to the mango combo with shrimps is the the grilled creole shrimps with smoked mango salsa recipe. Bakshish Dean, corporate chef, Lite Bite Foods, who tried the dish a few years back tells us, “What sets this dish apart is that the mango that you have to use should neither be too raw nor ripe. The way it is smoked is unusual, the mango is directly covered with skin under burning charcoal and you add a few drops of clarified butter on the embers, cover it with a metal bowl and let the mango char and infuse with smoke for about 15 minute. When you remove the mango, let it cool, wipe with a damp kitchen towel and then chill, peel and dice, add some grated jaggery, a little lemon juice, green and red chilli, some coriander leaves and a dash of olive oil, it’s a great sauce for the spice laden Creole shrimps.”
He further tells us that the trick to keep the flavour intact is not to overdo any other flavour — smoke, jaggery, lemon, coriander all have to be controlled, making sure they lift the fruit. To dress it up well, in such cases it is very important that the chef does not get carried away by any other thought or inspiration.
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