Mango Pesto Recipe
INSPIRED BY THAILAND
Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, is also known as the Big Mango. The nickname is fitting because mango is a native fruit of Thailand. The Asian nation is also the fourth largest producer of mango in the world, and Thai people enjoy it at every meal from salads to a popular dessert called mango sticky rice.
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Mangoes come in a wide variety in Thailand. In the west, they are most often sweet and yellow, whereas other areas grow a more tart and green mango.
SAVE FOR LATER
Makes 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1/4 cup shelled almonds
1 mango, peeled and seed removed
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
Directions
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Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms.
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If using a mortar and pestle, crush the almonds until a fine crumb forms. Add the mango and ginger, and mash until smooth. Mix in the mint and mascarpone cheese. Mash until the desired consistency forms.
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Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months.
Uses
Red Pepper Salad
Salads in Thailand usually consist of a meat, seafood, or noodle base rather than greens or raw vegetables as seen elsewhere around the world. Thai salads fall into one of four categories based on the way the ingredients are prepared: yam, tam, larb, and phla.
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Yellow Chicken Curry
Curry is crucial to Thai kitchens. However, curry’s origins are Indian. Thailand adopted this dish, but incorporated local ingredients. One noticeable difference is that Thai curry is often sweeter than Indian curry.
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