Mango chicken

As the days are getting warmer, I'm finding it hard to match the cravings I'm having with  flavours that are suited to summer. On the hottest of days, I've been unexpectedly feeling like hearty meals. While a stew or roast might fill me up, it certainly doesn't have the fresh flavours that are so suited to Aussie heat. For me, this mango chicken is the perfect solution. Rich in flavour and colour, it's made relatively quickly and the sauce can be prepared earlier if needed. Every bit as substantial as a winter meal and balanced with all those refreshing summer flavours I love.

Mango chicken

Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 15 mins Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts
• Coconut oil to cook
• 1 red capsicum
• 1 green capsicum
• 2 carrots

Mango sauce:

• 2 cups of mango- fresh or frozen is preferable but canned can be used also
• 3 large red chillies
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbs rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tbs kecap manis
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 1 thumb sized piece of galangal or ginger
• 1 can of coconut cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. De-seed and roughly chop chili. If using fresh ginger, peel and grate. Cut and juice lime.

 2. Add the chili, ginger and lime as well as all other ingredients for 'mango sauce' into a bowl, blender or food processor.

3. Don't put away any ingredients as you may need to adjust the balance of flavours once blended and then again once heated. I blended my sauce using a stick blender but the easiest way to do this would be in a food processor. Blend until it is combined and of a smooth consistency, add more coconut cream or a touch of water if its too thick.

4. Once blended you should have a delicious smelling sauce looking something like this ^ you now need to taste the sauce and see if its 'missing' anything.

• For saltiness add fish sauce or salt. 
• For sweetness  add kecap manis or brown sugar
• For a more sour flavour add lime or rice wine vinegar
• For a spicier sauce add more chili

Remember its better to add things in a little at a time- its very easy to go overboard with these strong flavours!

5. After adjusting the sauce, set it to one side. Dice the chicken breasts and add them along with some oil, into a large pan or wok to brown.

 6. While the chicken is browning you can peel and chop the carrots and chop the capsicums. They can either be diced or sliced, just try to keep the pieces a similar size.


7. Once the chicken is browned, add the sauce to the pan and allow it to heat through. Taste the sauce again, once heated and adjust it to taste.

8. The sauce should thicken sightly and bubble at the edge of the pan, add your vegetables and stir well. If desired you can now also add a handful of mango chunks to really highlight this flavour in the dish.


9. Cook the dish for a further 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.

10. Serve the meal with rice and roti bread for a delicious, filling meal.