Spicy mango chicken? Yes, you heard that correctly. It's a concoction that I came up with a few years ago while experimenting with soy curls featuring my love for mangoes. Mangoes are one of those fruits that are known by so many around the world, but especially us Caribbeans. Forget chopping it up and eating what many in the states and other places seem "proper" or "appropriate" a.k.a. with a fork or spoon... no friends the correct way is to slightly peel the mango skin and suck the pulp until you are left with the seed of the fruit. But don't worry about that for now, because today we'll be cubing it up and putting it in our dish.
For this recipe feel free to use whichever meat replacement you'd like, but I feel that soy curls work best due to their versatility and willingness to soak up any broth. Speaking of broths, this broth can be what you make of it. You can add whatever seasonings and additions you'd like to enhance this dish. As well as make it as spicy or not-so-spicy as you'd like it to be. If I could get my hands on scotch bonnet peppers the day that I made the original dish, I so would have blended it with tomatoes and added it to this dish – so feel free to do that if you love the spicy like moi.
Let's get to making the dish!
RECIPE: SPICY MANGO CHICKEN
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Serves: 2-3 servings
INGREDIENTS:
Meat
1/2 bag of soy curls
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt & pepper
Sauce
1/4 cup sofrito
1 tomato, chopped,
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced or pureed
1/2 cup water, or as needed
salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp cayenne pepper, or as needed
1 tbsp garlic powder, or as needed
1 tbsp onion powder, or as needed
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 mango, peeled & cubed
cilantro, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
Prep your veggies and set them aside. Soak your soy curls according to package instructions. In a pan on medium heat sauté in olive oil until golden brown and a crispy texture has been achieved. Lightly season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Mix in sofrito with soy curls and cook for a few minutes to allow it to soak up the flavor. In the same pan add in tomatoes, onions, and garlic – cook until translucent and fragrant. Add in seasonings and cubed mangos and lower heat.
Add in 1/2 of the water and tomato sauce to make a broth. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat. Add in more water as needed to thin out broth/sauce.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice immediately.
¡buen provecho!