Mango Cake

This was based on the One-Bowl Mango Cupcakes of Vegan Richa. Any subs or additions I made, were included in the recipe: making it into a cake, and using all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and an extra 1/8 tsp baking powder. As you can see, it didn't rise much, so next time I'll use more baking powder (in addition to the leavening from baking soda and vinegar), as suggested. However, after I first tasted it, I realized how much I liked it ... it reminded me of pumpkin pie (without the crust), but with mango flavor. 

(Vegan Richa later kindly suggested that the use of additional flour would help with this.)

I used canned Kesar mango pulp, which added color and flavor (and vitamins? ). It was also very thick, and I think that contributed to the pie-etude of this cake. I look forward to making this cake again ... maybe it will be cake, and maybe like pie, but either way, it will be a treat! 

I have both of Vegan Richa's cookbooks, but somehow, I haven't cooked from them, yet. I've only made recipes from her website. It's just so fun! 

Vegan Richa Website, One-Bowl Vegan Mango Cupcakes

South Indian Mango Chutney, 

with Noodles & Papadum

Here is Mango Chutney, served with store-bought Ramen (or Chuka Soba Noodles) and Papad(um) (crispy lentil wafer that can be deep-fried, but I heat in the microwave). The Mango Chutney was leftover, from the freezer. I didn't feel like making rice, and these noodles cook in only 3 minutes. (Basically, they're ramen noodles, not fried, and without the spice pack.) Nice, easy, and tasty.

Maangai Rasam 

(South Indian Unripe-Mango Soupy Dish)

The recipe is from 660 Curries, by Raghavan Iyer. The mango I'd chosen at the store was very unripe, indeed. I'd never before eaten something so unripe. I noticed that the finished dish was tart, in a fruity way. It was yummy. 

Mango Ice Cream 

(no ice-cream machine required)

This recipe is from Hot Thai Kitchen. Contains mango, honey, thick yogurt, and lemon juice, and I added a pinch of salt. Pai of Hot Thai Kitchen recommends Ataulfo mangos for this. I found that the champagne mangos at the store, are the same as (or a subset of) these, and used them. The honey and lemon juice gave this frozen treat, a very refreshing taste. 

Hot Thai Kitchen Website, Epic Mango Ice Cream in a Blender

Iraqi Chickpea Sambousek, 

Manga Pachadi (Mango Chutney), 

& Bread Gulab Jamun

This is another late-evening snack-meal, consisting of: leftover Iraqi Chickpea Sambousek (like baked samosas), Manga Pachadi (Mango Chutney), and Bread Gulab Jamun (upper right).

The gulab jamun recipe is from Kabita's Kitchen, and features dumplings made of bread and milk. I added too much milk, so then I had to add flour, but it was still a very sticky dough. That's why the dumpling doesn't look like the usual. Also, as I can't eat deep-fried food, I decided to bake them, instead. Several recipes online suggested baking at 325 F, and then putting them under the broiler. I don't like the broiler, so I just increased the temperature to 425 F. After it was baked, I soaked the gulab jamun in sugar-syrup, which contained rosewater as well as some coconut-sugar syrup.

It was close enough to real gulab jamun for me, for now. I'm sure I'll try it again, some time soon. The last time (actually the first time) I made gulab jamun, long ago, it came out exactly as it was supposed to, and I'd like to try to achieve that again.

Kabita's Kitchen Website, Bread Gulab Jamun Recipe

Kabita's Kitchen YouTube, Bread Gulab Jamun Recipe

Mango-Raspberry Sorbet

This was made from the rest of the mango nectar frozen a few days ago, along with the last of some frozen raspberries, a little salt, and some sugar syrup. (The salt and syrup are to bring out the flavors and hopefully keep the sorbet from turning into a block of ice.) The taste reminds me of fruit punch, and I enjoy the cheerful color. 

Creamy Mango Sorbet

Creamy Mango Sorbet . . . Or maybe, Mango "Ice Cream" . . . Or could I even call it, Mango Kulfi? (Indian ice cream) I took some mango nectar from the store, and froze it in 4 cups. I also froze a cup of whole milk. A couple days ago, I took half the mango nectar and all the milk, and put them both together through a mini-Cuisinart, along with a pinch of salt and some homemade sugar syrup (to add some flavor and keep the end result from turning into a block of ice). I put this back in the freezer, and decided to try it today. It was mango-y, and a little creamy, and really good. I was pleased with the result of my experiment! 

Manga Pachadi (Mango Chutney)

This recipe is from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian & Grain Cooking. One mango made a large amount of chutney; it's perfect for freezing small portions for another time. It's sweet (with brown sugar in place of jaggery), and spicy at the same time. You can have it with an Indian meal, or on bread instead of jam. I've tried both ways, and both are yummy! This chutney is nice to add a pleasant kick to your day. 

I left out the fresh green chilis, so it wouldn't be too hot, but did include some whole dry red peppers in the tempering with the mustard seeds. Those dry peppers always smell sweet, even though they are spicy; the last time I made this chutney (without peppers), it was rather sweet -- so I thought their inclusion would just balance the sweet sugar.

Mango Sorbet

This was made in an ice-cream maker, but otherwise made according to the method of Gemma Stafford's Bigger Bolder Baking. I used 3 cups of mango juice/nectar and 1/4-1/2 cup of her homemade sweetened condensed milk, and just added both to the machine. It was very creamy, and it even reminded me of caramel. If you don't have a machine, I made it the first time by freezing the mango juice, and then adding it, with the condensed milk, to a food processor, as in the original recipe (which calls for actual frozen fruit). I have also made the basic original recipe several times with frozen fruit, but really wanted to try it with the mango juice. I wasn't disappointed! 

Gemma's Bigger Bolder Baking Website, Homemade Raspberry Sorbet

Gemma Stafford's Bigger Bolder Baking Facebook