Thai mango chicken
23 Jun
Lately, for whatever reason, my palette has been attracted to the sweet + sour + salty combination found in Southeast Asian dishes. This dish combines the same elements as my last eggplant entry – fish sauce, rice wine, chili sauce – but this time, it adds the sweetness of fresh mangoes!
I love mangoes! I’ve only actually seen Irwin and Kent varieties while growing up in New York City. I never knew that there were so many different kinds of mangoes until recently. In Haiti, I tasted some of the best mangoes I’ve ever had. They are the yellow kind and they are called Madame Francis mangoes. I love mangoes so much that I don’t even mind having to floss after eating one!
I realized that I never actually cook with mangoes, so I thought I’d give this dish a try. I’ve had it numerous times at Malaysian restaurants, and often found it to be too sweet, so I used a little bit of honey. It was a refreshing combination of sweet and sour, and went wonderfully with brown rice.
What are your favorite mango dishes?
Makes 2-3 servings Ingredients:
1 pound of boneless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
2 large ripe mangoes, cut into strips
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon of sambal oelek
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
2 teaspoons of honey
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 handful of cilantro, minced
Green onion (for garnish)
Red and green bell peppers (optional)
Procedure:
1. Combine mango, soy sauce, fish sauce, sambal oelek, rice vinegar, honey, garlic and cilantro in a bowl.
2. In a pan, grill chicken over medium heat with a hint of oil. Cook through, about 5 minutes. (I used a cast iron skillet for the chicken, then transferred to a different pan).
3. Add sauce to the pan and cook over high heat, about another 5 minutes, until sauce thickens. Keep stirring. Lower heat, until all the sauce has incorporated into the chicken.
4. Serve with rice.
