Spice up rice and beans with jerk paste and mango
One of my favourite memories of mango season is watching a woman eat the fruit on the Sheppard Ave. bus. Somehow, she separated the flesh from the skin and used the latter as a pocket to catch all the juices as she ate around the pit. Not a single drop of juice fell on her lap and her fingers remained clean afterwards. That’s some serious skill right there. May marks the peak of mango season in India as families stock up by the case, adding them to smoothies, salads or just straight-up enjoying them over the sink like my dad does. Check Asian grocers for the largest selection of varieties. My hardcore foodie friends raided Sunny Supermarket in North York for a mango-tasting party (I lived vicariously through it on their Instagram posts).
The fruit is tasty by itself, but lends a delightful tropical flavour to breakfast dishes such as yogurt, oatmeal and pancakes. In savoury applications, cook down mangoes with fresh ginger, chilies and sweet peppers for a chutney to go with chicken; toss it in a salad with spinach and shrimp; stuff it in battered fish tacos or make this Jamaican-inspired rice bowl for dinner or chill it for a rice salad for the next day’s lunch. These are the reasons this versatile fruit is sold by the case.
This rice bowl is packed with tender kidney beans, a watery crunch from the onions and cilantro and hunks of juicy, sweet mango to cut through the jerk spice. It has nutritionally dense layers of textures and flavours. Beans and rice add fibre and protein, while mangoes provide a healthy dose of vitamins A and C. Try serving it in a coconut shell for guests. If you’re riding the TTC on a weekend afternoon, try a hollowedout mango peel.
Wherever you are, mango ninja lady, I salute you.
Mango Rice and Bean Bowl
Star Tested 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown rice 11/2 (375 mL) cups water Jerk paste, to taste Salt, to taste 1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped onion 1 cup (250 mL) chopped mango 1 cup (250 mL) canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped cilantro In a small pot over medium heat, bring rice and water to a rapid boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook on gentle simmer until most of liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove lid and fluff rice with fork. Season with salt and jerk paste to taste.
Let cooked rice cool slightly at room temperature. Add onion, mango, beans and cilantro. Toss gently until evenly mixed. Transfer to serving bowl and serve immediately or chill to serve as rice salad.
Makes 1 serving. How to cut a mango: Peel off the skin using a vegetable peeler. Take a sharp, thin knife and slice down the centre of the mango from the stem, keeping the blade as close to the pit as possible. Repeat with the other side of the mango. Cut the two cheeks of the mango into chunks. Slice off remaining flesh from the pit and cut into chunks. There are online hacks suggesting you can scoop out the flesh using a glass. Don’t do that. The dull edge of the glass results in a mango with jagged cuts and an uneven surface. How to tell if a mango is ripe: A ripe mango should give a little when gently squeezed, but the easiest indicator is by smell. If you can smell its fragrant juices through the skin, it’s ready to eat. karonliu@thestar.ca