Green Mango Salsa

When I read about the new food blogging event of Chris of Mele Cotte, I just knew I had to join. I started joining food blogging events a week ago with her Cooking to Combat Cancer. Read my entry here. And I definitely have to join this new event because this event is about the Queen of Philippine fruits - the Mango!

The mango fruit is rich in vitamin C, calcium and magnesium, which is highly recommended for pregnant women and practically everybody. There is nothing like the Philippine carabao mango. The texture, taste and aroma of our Philippine mango is incomparable! The skin is not thick and leathery like some of the mangoes from other countries. The flesh is firm, sweet, crisp and without unpalatable fibers.

Philippine mangoes have a distinct rich taste, no turpentine taste, not fibrous and high nutritional value compared to other kinds of mangoes. Philippine Carabao mangoes are available year-round but the best tasting fruits are those picked during the summer months. "Philippine mangoes" sold in the U.S. are from Mexico (check the small stickers) while "real" produce from the Philippines are marketed as "Manila Super Mangoes". (source: philippineherbalmedicine.org) So when buying mangoes at your groceries, be sure to check whether they are from the Philippines or not. To read more about Philippine mangoes, please click here and here.




For Cinco de Mango, I am sharing this recipe using green unripe mangoes. Green mangoes have this unique sour, tart, tangy taste, perfect for salads or as a side dish. This is a simple recipe, and very easy to make. This is actually another of my retake on a popular Filipino side dish. The original version uses shrimp paste (Bagoong) but I simply used dashes of fish sauce (Patis). I had to use fish sauce because even if the shrimp paste is definitely yummier (and more pungent), it also causes sudden rise in our blood pressure! Actually, even the fish sauce can affect hypertension too, if you add a lot. So, I just put dashes of it, only for some taste and flavor.

1 green (unripe) mango, peeled, seeded, jullienned
4 tomatoes, cleaned, julliened
1 white onion, cut into strips
dashes of fish sauce, to taste
2 stalks green onions, chopped

1. Mix the mango, tomatoes and onions in a plate.

2. Add dashes of fish paste. Mix everything up.

3. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.

In this country, we use this green mango salsa as an accompaniment to grilled or fried dishes. The sour, salty, slightly sweet, tangy, tart, pert "tastes" literally combines together in this dish and expect bursts of full flavor with every bite.