BY NOEL CUNNINGHAM
“We nuh drink coffee, tea a mango time!”
There are not enough words to describe the love that we as Caribbean people have for mango. So much so, that some people will sit and have only mangoes for dinner. A real yardie cannot eat one mango at any given time – it must be three or more. There is even a folk song in Jamaican patois called ‘Mango Time’ that details the excitement surrounding the season. It goes like this…
“Mi nuh drink coffee, tea – mango time care how nice it may be – mango time in the heat of the mango cro when di fruit dem a ripe an’ drop wash yuh pot, tun dem dung – mango time.”
English translation…
“I don’t drink coffee, tea – mango time don’t care how nice it may be – mango time.
In the heat of the mango crop when the fruit they’re ripe and drop wash your pot, turn them down – mango time.”
This time of year is my favorite. Not only the memories of going to a mango bush or eating by the galore but my mom would always make mango jam, using the turned mangoes. Nothing beats homemade jam with crackers or mango juice on a Sunday.
During mango season you will find several mango varieties each with its own texture, taste, size and flavour. There is Blackie, Stringy, Tommy Atkins, Beef, Bombay, East Indian, Number 11, Sweetie Come Brush Me, Parry, Robin, and St Julian, widely known as Julie.
Everyone has their favourite and their favourite way to enjoy them. Some make mango ice cream, jellies, jams, cheese, pie and punch. The leaves are even sometimes used to treat hypertension, insomnia and fever.
This week I’m sharing one of favorite ways to use mango in a dish just in case you happened to have lots this season. There’s something about the combination of mango and coconut that just works for me. This recipe uses mango, curry and coconut which comes together nicely to make a sauce for this chicken dish.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
- 1 tbsp. curry powder
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 stalks fresh thyme and scallion, chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup roughly chopped mango
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp. ginger chopped
- 2 tsp. curry powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Marinate chicken with the first five ingredients. Place chicken in a baking dish skin-side up and put to bake for 25 minutes.
Make the sauce: add the coconut milk and mango to a blender and purée until smooth.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the curry, cook for another minute. Add the mango coconut purée and simmer for 5 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
When the chicken is almost ready pour the mango-coconut sauce over the chicken and leave to cook for an additional 5 minutes. If desired, serve on a bed of rice.
