The goodness of mangoes…
In case you are wondering why eat mangoes here’s your answer: Our “king of fruit” is high-fiber and high antioxidant fruit packed with vitamins A, C and K. Fresh vitamin C is the best healing vitamin of them all, vitamin A promotes eye health and K makes for good bones. As Dr Shiva Ayyadurai keeps noting time and time again vitamin C is essential for your immune system these times of coronavirus epidemic and can go a long way in saving patients…yes, vitamin C helps reduce incidence of cold and flu.
Instead of eating a packet of Lays wafers eat a mango for teatime! If it is mango season make green mango chutney, relish, salad…aam ka panna; with ripe mangoes make aam ras, mango rice, mango dahibhat, in Goa everyone makes ambyache sasav. Hey, remember that the mango tree is revered in the Indian sub-continent and that is why every auspicious occasion we festoon our homes with a string of green mango leaves. For some sane reason surely! If it’s mango season in Goa, consider yourself lucky and go get those mangoes green and ripe. Make sure they’re from an organic orchard.
Note: Here’s my recipe for mango dahibhat: Soak and cook rice of choice with a bay leaf in the water, set aside. Now dice mango ripe and give it a tadka (tempering) in desi ghee with jeera (cumin seeds), one or two curry leaf sprigs, pinch asafetida (hing). With the sizzle quickly take off fire and add in the diced mango…gently stir in salt as per taste, when a little cool stir in the cooked rice, at eating time mix in fresh curd. Eat, enjoy and say hello to your immune system and boo to coronavirus!