CYNTHIA´s TROPICAL RECIPES
New Recipe for Yucca
First posted by Robert Ratliff on the Yahoo Group for Panama.
Cuban-Style Yuca Root With Citrus and Garlic
3 pounds yuca, scrubbed, peeled and cut into 3-inch
sections
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided use
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fresh grapefruit or lime juice
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
Place yuca in cold water to cover and bring to a boil,
adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the water. Reduce to a
simmer and cook, covered, about 30 minutes until the
root is easily pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a skillet and cook
the onion until translucent, about 4 minutes. Then
stir in the garlic, juices and remaining 1/4 teaspoon
of salt. Add the herbs.
Drain the yuca, then combine with the sauce and serve.
Serves 6.
It is Mango Season again.
MANGO PINEAPPLE MARMELADE
(Makes about 4 – 5 medium jars)
4 C prepared mango pulp chopped, 4 cups pineapple chopped
zest (from 5 limes – I gave up grating after that), juice, and pips of 10 fresh limes (about 1 C juice)
1 ¼ C water (or less, depends on the amount of juice in the fruit)
8 C sugar
cheesecloth or old clean t-shirt.
Add the zest to the fruit, tie the pips, and rinds in a cheesecloth and add to the pot along with all the ingredients. The lime adds pectin which is neede for the marmelade to jell.
When I first made this marmelade from fresh Taboga Mangoes the amount of juice in the fruit was so high I had to boil it longer, so be careful with the amount of water you add-you may not need it all. Use a large pot, add everything in together and bring to a boil.
Boil rapidly till the setting point is reached (about 20-30 minutes, or till the sugar thermometer reads 105 C), stirring to prevent the marmelade from scorching. Scorched marmelade is dark. Remove your lime rinds and pips and bottle the rest.
You may reuse glass jars, just be sure to boil them and their covers to sterilize them. Keep in a cool place, preferably the frig unless you have special vacuum sealed lids for the jars. Use within a couple of months as flavor starts to deteriorate after that.
* PINEAPPLE GINGER JUICE or TEA
This is a tasty recipe I like to make at home when I have some fresh pineapple. It is a take-off from the popular Panamanian rice and pineapple drink. Very healthy and delicious hot or cold. Scrub and rinse the pineapple husk/skin well and remove the skin leaving a little pineapple attached, save the rest of the pineapple to eat on its own. For this recipe we only use the husk/skin. If you have a couple of pineapples even better, it will improve the flavor. If you don´t eat the core, throw it in the pot as well.
Put the pineapple husks in a large pot of water with a stick of cinnamon. Start to bring it to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil remove the skin from a piece of fresh ginger. I like it a bit spicy so I use a piece about 3 inches long. Slice the ginger and add it to the water with the pineapple.
Boil for 5 minutes then reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes. You may have to add some water because a lot will boil off, but not too much or you will lose the flavor. This is a drink you need to check the flavor before adding the extra water. Remove from heat and strain the liquid out into a jar or pitcher, add brown sugar (in Panama we have raw brown sugar in blocks, that is delicious in this) or honey to taste. The resulting liquid will be honey colored. Enjoy chilled over ice, or warm as a tea.
* Check out this GREAT POST on GROWING YOUR OWN GINGER:
http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/2008/07/grow-your-own-ginger.html
* GARLIC TIP if you can STAND it!
Garlic for colds and flu. Once I was really sick with the flu and a Mexican friend made me garlic tea from several cloves of fresh chopped garlic and lemon. It tasted so bad I almost felt worse. But I had 2 cups, and the next day I was better. Later I modified it a bit and quickly sauteed garlic cloves chopped in 3 or 4 pieces for about 30 seconds to 1 minute in olive oil. Then ate them. Tasty and easier to stomach but not nearly as potent as the terrible but amazing tea.
* SPICY MANGO SALSA
1 large ripe mango, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and minced, these are very spicy, you may want to use less
1/8 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (or very finely chopped Panamanian culantro)
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Refrigerate for one hour before serving. Serve with grilled chicken, fish, jumbo shrimp. Makes about two cups.
* Most people in Panama eat a lot of fish, it is readily available, fresh, delicious and often cheaper than meat. This recipe has a Chinese background, I have tweaked it a bit. Wondering about the Chinese connection to Panama and the tropics? There is a very large Chinese community here, some have intermarried with Panamanians and many have very successful businesses….resulting in some great Chinese restaurants in Panama!
SEA BASS OR CORVINA, QUICK & EASY CHINESE STYLE (10 minutes)
2 Corvina filets or any white fish (you can also prepare this with a small whole fish, but needs to be cleaned and with about 6 slices through the skin into the meat so you can place your ginger, garlic and onion, and it will need to be cooked longer)
Fresh ginger, finely chopped, 2 tablespoons
Garlic, finely chopped, 2 tablespoons
Green onion, finely chopped, 2 tablespoons
Rice wine or cooking sherry, 2 tablespoons
Quality soya sauce
1 cube chicken stock
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
Cover the bottom of a saucepan with one or two cups of water (depends on the size of your pan), add the chicken stock, rice wine, 1 tablespoon of the ginger/garlic/green onions. Stir, place filets in the water and cook 2 minutes on each side (this depends on the thickness and density of the fish, do not overcook), turn carefully or they will break. (You can also grill or broil them but this is moister). Remove at once and place on an oven proof plate. Blot dry with a paper towel. Place 1 tablespoon ginger, then garlic, then green onions on top of the filets press down slightly. Heat until very hot the oil and butter (I did it in the microwave). Drizzle at once over the hot filets, be careful. Keep warm (put it in the microwave or oven). When serving drizzle just a little soya sauce over the top. Nice with a side of rice and steamed vegetables, or stir fried bean sprouts.
MANGOS
Fresh Taboga Mangos, right off the tree!
Mango: The oblong, sweet fruit of a tropical tree, Mangifera indica, of the cashew family, eaten ripe, or preserved or pickled. Native to India and cultivated in many tropical regions, mango has special significance in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Philippines. Its leaves are ritually used for floral decorations at Hindu marriages and religious ceremonies. See nutrient properties below at the end of the mango section.
Now that Mangos are falling off the trees this is just in time for Panama Mango Season!
Today I picked a ripe mango from our trees on Taboga and thought of the Lassi´s we used to savor at Indian restaurants in Japan. Here is my recipe.
* Mango Lassi (Aam Lassi)
2 cups chopped, peeled fresh mango
3 cups Plain yogurt
tray of ice, about 2 cups
1/2 cup sugar
A dash of ground cardamom (optional)
A dash of ground cinnamon
Lime wedges, or mint, or mango for garnish (I like lime).
Put all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth, if the mango is stringy you will have to put it through a sieve, then pour into glasses garnish with mint leaves or mango and serve at once. Serves 4 people.
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* Green Mango Snack
What to do with all those green mangos?
Pick several green, unripe mangos. Peel and slice into strips, or chunks. Prepare fresh lime juice or vinegar, add a little water if too tart, plus salt and pepper to taste. If still too tart, add a little sugar. Enjoy at once or put in the frig. Will last up to a week.
* Thai Green Mango Snack
Great with a cold beer on a hot day. Pick several green, unripe mangos. Peel and slice into strips, or chunks. Mix salt and chili pepper to taste, dip the green mango in the mixture and enjoy. Cool off with the ice cold cerveza!
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* Green Mango Chutney.
Makes 2-3 large jars
Prep and cook time 2 hours
6 medium firm green mangoes
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ cup white or rice vinegar
2 limes-juiced
½ cup firmly packed soft brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (optional)
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tsp salt
Remove the peel from the mangoes. Cut the flesh off the seed and into small pieces.
Fry onion slowly in oil until soft in a heavy pot. Add jalapenos and cumin seeds and sauté 5 minutes. Add the cloves, cinnamon, and coriander sauté more until fragrant. Add the mangoes and the rest of the ingredients to a heavy pot. Stir over medium heat 5 minutes until sugar has dissolved. Then bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the mixture is very thick and pulpy. Stir often to prevent the chutney from sticking.
Pour or spoon at once into clean, warm jars and seal. After opening, store in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.
Delicious with almost anything!
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Nutrient Properties of Mango: from Wikepedia, please see Wikepedia for sources, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango:
Nutrient and Antioxidant properties
An excellent overall nutritional source, mango is rich in dietary fiber and carbohydrates.[6] It contains diverse essential vitamins and minerals, many of which are particularly high in content. The antioxidant vitamins A, C and E comprise 25%, 76% and 9%, respectively, of the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) in a 165 g serving. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, 11% DRI), vitamin K (9% DRI), other B vitamins and essential nutrients such as potassium, copper and 17 amino acids are at good levels. Mango peel and pulp contain other phytonutrients, such as carotenoids, polyphenols, and omega-3 and -6 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Usually discarded as waste, mango peel has considerable potential as an antioxidant food source.[7][8][9] Antioxidants of the peel and pulp include numerous carotenoids,[10] polyphenols,[11][12] such as quercetin, kaempferol, gallic acid, caffeic acid, catechins, tannins, and the unique mango xanthone, mangiferin,[13] any of which may counteract free radicals in various disease mechanisms as revealed in preliminary research.[14][15] Up to 25 different carotenoids have been isolated from mango pulp, the densest content for which was beta-carotene accounting for the yellow-orange pigmentation of most mango species.[16]
The mango triterpene, lupeol, is an effective inhibitor in laboratory models of prostate and skin cancers.[17][18][19] An extract of mango branch bark called Vimang, isolated by Cuban scientists, contains numerous polyphenols with antioxidant properties in vitro[20] and on blood parameters of elderly humans.[21]
3.5 ounces of Mango contains approximately 70 calories.
Thats a very good Indian Food Recipe. Can I know who has written it? I will like to know more from him.
Dear Swapnil, Thank you. I have written it. It is a combination of several old recipes of mine and I do not know where they came from. Cynthia
Wonderful recipes!!!!
Thanks! I will try to add more soon. Cynthia
Will you do a restaurant listing as well?
Yes, please send in your salsa recipe. I will share it.
Restaurant listing will take some time. That will come next…
CYNTHIA, THERE ARE A FEW INDIAN RECIPIES , HOW DO U KNOW THEM ?
there are a few indian recipies how do u know them are u a indian
Hi Dinesh, No I am not Indian but I love Indian food. Cynthia