Amba - tangy Iraqi mango pickle condiment

Middle Eastern food has found its way onto the shelves of every corner shop and into the hearts of everyone I know. And I mean everyone: I can't even remember a picnic that didn't feature several tubs of hummus and tzatziki has actually become a Christmas dinner staple!

While everyone can tell their harissa from hummus and tzatziki from tahina, not many are familiar with the greatness of amba. Like everything else in Middle East, its exact origins are often debated, though it is likely it originated in Iraq. With Iraqi Jews it has become a staple in Israeli street food, too, and you see it being served with shawarma, falafel and sabich (another Iraqi specialty) - a sandwich stuffed with hard-boiled eggs and fried eggplant. 

Another thing that is totally best friends with it is meorav yerushalmi. What is that, you ask? Wait til tomorrow and you'll have it on the blog!

Where harissa has often been dubbed as the ketchup of Middle East, sweet and tangy amba is the mustard. You can leave the mango in cubes for pickle-like consistency or you can whizz it into a dressing. It's equally versatile both ways: use it sandwiches, as a dip, serve with fish or meat... or just lick it straight off the jar.

Southern Asia has their own take on this called achar and why wouldn't it - India is where mangos originally came from. If you want to hear more about just how seriously they take their mangos there, just click here...

Amba is also a convenient in that the mangos don't need to be ripe (which they rarely ever are in these parts of the world...). The exact amount of sugar depends on the ripeness of your mangos (mine weren't ripe). The exact quantity of water depends on whether you want to puree your amba. In case you want to leave them in cubes, just add a little water at a time to make sure it won't burn. 

The longest versions of amba I've seen take days to make. The ultimate shortcut would be to just blizz or dice a ripe mango and combine it with a little bit or harissa and lemon juice. 

Black mustard seeds are available at ethnic or Indian shops. In case you can only get hold of those yellow ones, use them. They lack the kick of the black (look at me- an accidental freestyling champ!) , so you should double the amount given in the recipe. Instead of lemon you can also use lime. 

makes about 3-4 dl of pickle/ paste

Amba - tangy Iraqi mango pickle

a couple of tbsp of oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds

2 small garlic cloves minced

1 small red chili, de-seeded and finely chopped

2/3 tsp ground cumin

2/3 tsp fenugreek seeds, ground

2/3 tsp sumac

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tso turmeric

2 mangos, peeled and diced

juice of a lemon

2 tbsp brown sugar

1- 1,5 dl water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white vinegar (or more lemon or lime juice) 

Heat oil in a pot. Add mustard seeds and wait til they start crackling (keep an eye on them to avoid burning them). Add garlic, chili, spices, chopped up mango and lemon juice. Stir and add sugar. Let it melt and then add water. Simmer over moderate heat, covered, until mango cubes have softened. Check the taste and add salt. 

Puree (if desired) check the taste and adjust the taste with vinegar, sugar or more salt.

And hey, if the sweetness of mango combined with seductive little kick is right up your street, you'll also like this mango, chili and ginger chicken and this crayfish dressing!

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Caring is sharing!

Fruity chicken and pineapple pasta salad

Finland is currently trying to get over May Day mayhem. The 1st of May (which this year fell for Friday) is a national holiday. It started as the celebration of the workers and was later adopted by the students as well. It turns the country into one massive picnic and Kaivopuisto park for instance annually hosts a good 30 000 picnic-goers! The weather, obviously, is never quire ideal for kicking off the picnic season... but that never seems to stop us!

Instead of a potato salad (a Finnish May Day picnic staple) I made this wonderfully sunny and comfortingly creamy chicken salad which gets lovely fruitiness from mango and curry dressing and pineapple chunks.

Another salad that is already shaping up to be a picnic classic was this spicy chickpea salad, which was an immediate hit the first time I made it. 

Because of it's impossible-to-ruin-juiciness, I prefer chicken cooked on the bone, but using breast fillets is obviously quicker. For easiest and quickest option use shop-bought rotisserie chicken. You'll get the amount of meat required for this recipe from either two good sized breasts or out of 3 thigh leg quarters.

For gluten-free version, use gluten-free pasta. For kosher (or dairy-free) diets, substitute Greek yogurt with coconut cream (the thick part on top of the tin of coconut milk)

Serves 4 or, as part of a buffet, 8

Fruity chicken and pineapple pasta salad:

350 g cooked chicken
200 g fusilli pasta 
200 g pineapple

Mango and curry dressing:

100 g mayo
200 g Greek yogurt or crème fraîche
1 small baby food jar (125 g) of mango puré
1 generous tsp curry powder
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp mustard (not Dijon, something sweeter)
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
salt, white pepper

Cook pasta and drain. Combine with chicken and pineapple, both cut into similar sized chunks. 

Combine the ingredients for the dressing and fold into the salad. 

Serve. Either warm, at room temperature or cold.

Our wine pairing for this was something we'd probably never tried before: A South African white that wasn't Chenin Blanc!

Bellingham The Bernard Series Whole Bunch Grenache Blanc Viognier is a blend of white version of soft-on-the-palate and full of berry-notes Grenache, popular in Spain (where it's called Garnacha) and Viognier.

You can smell the 6 months of French oak barrels in the bouquet, which has even cinnamon-like warm spiciness and promises of a dry wine. The taste is (surprisingly) fresh and balanced mix of mineral acidity and variety of fruity tones. The oakiness and acidity both balance the creaminess of the pasta salad while the fruity elements compliment the sweetness of mango and fruitiness of the pineapple.

The Bernard series is a tribute to the crazy creative spirit of the winery's founder, Bernard Podlashuk and comprises of interesting, more complex wines. Definitely worth a try!

And of course we had some fizz, too. Though this year we skipped Champagne and donated the money to Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund.

Instead we went for Jaume Serra; excellent value for money. It has a special place in our hearts already because it was the bubbly we celebrated our first kiss with ♥

This cava is made with the traditional Champagne method with 12 months fermentation in the bottle. It's made using the three grapes most commonly used for cava in Catalonia, where majority of the cavas are made: Xarel.lo, Parellada and Macabeo.

It's got body, balanced acidity, charming toastiness and bright citrus notes that make this an easy bubbly to combine with food, too.  Try with seafood and salads with fish.

Tomorrow we'll continue our tour of Latvia, so meet you back here in the morning, ok?

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Mango, chilli, ginger and coconut chicken - flu be gone!

Spring is finally here. And with it, lighter days. And, as my sad luck would have it, a very stubborn flu. After more than a week of producing Ghostbusters-worthy gunk it was time to brink out the big guns. A.k.a. mango, chilli, ginger and coconut chicken to the rescue!

This is one of the dishes I've been making for years, yet never managed to pen the recipe. I know that my friend, The Cat Blogger has been waiting for this post ever since I started blogging as this dish won her and her daughter over way back. Well, here goes!

And hey, not only is this packed with (bug-busting) flavour, it's also quick and at your table in less than 30 minutes. And it's dairy-free, kosher and gluten-free. What are you waiting - time to get cracking!

Mango, chilli, ginger and coconut chicken:

Serves four

4 chicken breasts

salt, white pepper

Mango, chilli, ginger and coconut sauce:

4 cm piece of fresh ginger (finely chopped 2,5 tbsp)

1-2 red chillis, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves (finely chopped 2 tbsp)

the juice and finely grated zest of a lime

1 tbsp curry powder

1/2 chicken stock cube dissolved in 1,5 dl boiling water

2,5 small baby food jars (â 125 g) puréed mango 

1 tbsp soy sauce

2,5 dl coconut cream (the thick stuff you see as you open a tin of coconut milk)

oil for frying, 

for serving: a coriander bush and 2 spring onions

Sauté garlic, ginger and chilli in a couple of tbsp oil Add curry powder, keep stirring and cooking for a minute and then add lime zest and juice along with soy sauce.

Then add chicken stock, mango puré and coconut cream. Cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce starts thickening a bit.

Pat the chicken fillets dry and cut into 1 cm thick slices. Season with salt and white pepper. Sear quickly, working in batches, the chicken in a hot pan and transfer into the sauce. Continue cooking over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is just done. 

Check the taste and add more soy cauce if needed. Finely chop coriander and spring onion, fold into the sauce and serve with rice.

Normally I would have paired this with one of the Alsatians we've grown so fond of, probably turning to Wolfberger for a match. Gewürtztraminer for instance would have the sort of ripe sweetness that works so well with the heat from chilli and ginger. 

However, we happened to have some of this new Venetian friend instead. 

Garganega is a grape widely grown in the Veneto region and the foundation of many Soaves. It's got bright citrusy notes that perk up the overall appearance, but also ripe fruitiness which, together with the gentle spiciness (courtesy of oak barrels among other things) make this a great match for Asian cuisine. 

As the label suggests, the wine is made with appassimiento- method, which means that the grapes are partially dried over a certain period (40 days for this one) before pressing. As a result the wine has a lot more concentrated, richer flavour.

And hey, this particular wine was named in honour of the wife of the founder of the winery. How adorable is that!

Oh, what's the deal with the birds, you ask? That, my friend, is  a Rajasthani parrot chain. The birds are suppose to bring the household good luck while the bell at the end of it is supposed to ward off the evil spirits. I still haven't won the lottery but on the other side - I don't get any Jehovah's Witnessess at my door either...!

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Curried herring

In the Nordics summer, and especially Midsummer just isn't summer without the long-awaited new potatos. And with them, fish. Herring in particular. And we're nothing if not schticklers for traditions (as. if.) So, this year ours were drenched in curry and mango dressing. 

Curry is something I love at least as much as I love herring - as a kid I used to put it even on vanilla ice cream...!

And if these traditional Scandinavian (!) flavours get you going, you just wait for the other one we made for our Midsummer lunch: tomato herring with coconut cream, coriander and sriracha! Yeah - for real!

Though not much of a guardian of folklore, I proved so handy in the kitchen over the Midsummer, one minute cleaning octopus (yes! Octopus coming soon! It's been ages!) and the next skinning herring that I think The Boy Next Door is rather pleased with his choice for Mrs Boy Next Door...

400 g herring fillets

Vinegar solution:

1,25 dl strong vinegar (10%)

5 dl water

1 tbsp salt

Rinse the fillets and pat dry. Skin them (optional) and place in an air-tight container. Combine the ingredients for the vinegar solution and pour over the fillets. Cover and let cook in cold for 6-8 hours. Drain thoroughly.

Curry and mango dressing:

1 small baby food jar of puréed  mango (or the flesh of 1 very ripe mango, puréed)
1 dl mayonnaise

0,5 dl Greek yogurt (or crème fraîche or coconut cream even)

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 generous tbsp curry powder

1 large tsp mustard

1 generous tbsp chopped chives (or spring onions)
pinch of white pepper

Combine the ingredients to a smooth dressing. Check the taste and if needed, season with salt (carefully though). Fold in herring fillets and let marinate in the fridge at least until the next day. And to go with it, the usual suspects. A.k.a. boiled new potatos, archipelago malt bread and schnapps!

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Fish ceviche

I know, I know. Sure I've been talking about eating more fish but... there hasn't really been much action, has there? Even I can't fathom why as it is such a versatile creature. You can cure it, pickle it, steam it, fry it, turn into burgers, mash into a terrine or (when you're feeling particularly lazy!) make ceviche. Which is such a  dreamily light and refined way to impress dinner guests, too. 

Originally this dish comes from South America. In our Southern Finnish household it got paired with equally light accompaniments: mango, spring onion, red onion, garlic, tomato, wonderfully fruity jalapeno and loads of coriander, claro que si!

And si, si! Muy bien!

As a starter this feeds four

400 g fish fillets (ours were pangasius)
the juice of 1,5 limes

200 g mango cubes (the flesh of appr. 2 ripe fruits)

handful of spring onions, chopped (about 1 stalk)

1/2 red onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 tomatos

handful of coriander leaves, chopped

1 jalopeno

to serve: toasted flat breads of tortillas, Greek yogurt

Cut the fish into 1 cm- cubes and place in a wide-bottom, non-metallic dish. Squeeze lime juice on top, cover and  and let it work its magic in the fridge. Turn the chunks around a bit if needed. In the meanwhile cut mango and tomatos into similar size cubes and, along with rest of the ingredients, combine with fish. Season with salt and serve.

Brush tortillas with a little bit oil and sprinkle some salt (optional) on top. Granulkated garlic and smoked paprika powder also work wonderfully! Toast at 200°  for a couple of minutes and cut into wedges.

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Coleslaw with Asian twist

Thanks to the couple of sublimely sunny and summery days we've gotten to enjoy, we, too, got to kick off the BBQ season. What we kicked it off with? That you'll just have wo wait until the next post! Here's a teaser though.

As far as side dishes for grilled, well, anything, goes, one is head above the rest: coleslaw. But this time coleslaw, that American take on salad with its shredded cabbage and carrots drenched in mayonnaise, got an Asian twist. Instead of the usual mayonnaise dressing I made some of that mango, chilli and ginger dressing I devised for those duck confit burgers and later turned into that crayfish paste too. I'm warning you - I've fallen for this dressing so hard that by the end of the summer you too will have totally overdosed on it...!

You can replace half of the mayo with either Greek yogurt or low-fat crème fraîche for a lot lighter version of the original. In addition to crisp veggies, this version gets extra crunch from toasted cashews. The result is a wonderfully sunny, fruity salad that has just the right amount of spicy heat to it. Works wonders with pork, chicken, beef and hot dogs. Try it as a side dish, on sandwiches, in burgers, inside pita or as a filling in wraps.

Serves 4-6

about 800 g chunk of cabbage (about 750 g when shredded)

3 large carrots

1 bunch of spring onions

2 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1,5 -2 dl mango, chilli and ginger mayonnaise - depending on how rich you like yours (recipe here!)

handful of toasted cashew nuts

bunch of coriander (what ever gets left from making the dressing)

Remove the hard core from the cabbage along with the leathery outer leaves and shred finely. Peel carrots and shred/ grate. Cut the spring onions to about 10 cm pieces and cut them lengthwise into strips. Combine vinegar and sugar and mix with the veg. Occasionally stirring, let them get ready while you prepare the dressing.

Fold the dressing into the salad, toss in rest of the coriander leaves and scatter the cashews (dry roasted on a hot pan and cooled) on top of the salad.

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Mango, chili, ginger and crayfish dressing

I often come to realize just how twisted my priorities are. A little while back a letter from the tax authorities notified me that this year, as a result of having overpaid taxes last year (is there anything I won't overdo...?) I'm in for a refund. And did I once stop to review any of the sensible things to do with the money? Put it on savings account for that rainy day? Use it to pay off my VISA bill? Oh. No. My first (and clearly the last, too) was "ooh! Which ones of all the restaurants am I going to book a table at?"

And that will be the end of that money. As is the case with any money I have. Down the throat it goes. One way or another. And it makes for a very good life, there's no denying that one. If even the waste-minimizing operations emptying the fridge regularly produce treats such as duck confit and pear salad, it's only fair to admit how deep in the #firstworldproblems - clouds we live our lives.

The latest invention was this dip/ dressing/ paste/ spread which brings together the best parts of the burgers I've made recently. And damn, how delish it was! Crayfish from the pike burgers, mango, chilli and ginger mayonnaise from duck confit burgers and the pomegranate seeds left over from the Lebanese lamb pizza. Along with the last spoonfuls of Greek yogurt I came across.

The result is thicker and richer than mayonnaise. Mango gives it a lovely fruitiness which the brightness pomegranate seeds compliment, lending it a lovely texture too. Chilli gives it a subtle heat which lime and ginger bring to balance.

And this is ridiculously versatile, too! Try on jacket potatos, in sandwiches, in salads, on crostinis for cocktail treats, as a filling for crépes, in wraps...

For a starter for just 2 people this portion was a bit too generous, but as The Boy Next Door inquired whether or not it would keep in the fridge until the next day I had to say no. Not if I'm anywhere near it wont..!

1 dl mayonnaise
1 dl Greek yogurt
1,5 dl drained crayfish tails
1 generous dl mango purée (like a small, 60 g jar of those baby food purées)
1 small chilli
the finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 lime
1 generous tbsp finely chopped coriander
1/2 tsp curry powder
the seeds of 1/4 - 1/2 pomegranate (depending on the size)

Combine the ingredients and let sit in the fridge for about an hour while the flavours develop. Check the taste and season as needed.

Even if you do opt out of the crayfish, this makes a glorious dressing that I intend to be making the most of this BBQ- season!

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Duck confit burgers

The blog has introduced a new tag: street food. Under that one you'll find street credible street food. Like these duck confit burgers. Because everything that's worth doing is worth doing properly.

My love of dead duck has probably become obvious to everybody. Slowly cooked, sublimely succulent confit especially makes me go all weak at the knees. But even I didn't think to stuff a burger with it! That decadent stroke of genius is all down to Streat Helsinki 2014- festival and Richard McCormick.

For just about everything you've always wanted to ask about confiting duck, please see here.

And for making your own burger brioches, please see here.

4 burgers/ 8 sliders

4 regular size burger brioches (or 8 small ones)
2 duck leg confits
1 red onion
salad leaves

to serve: pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves

Heat the duck legs under a broiler for about 15 minutes. Remove the skin and pull the meat into slivers of your liking (they fall off the bone all on their own!). If needed, add some of the fat from the duck to form a mixture that sticks together. Season with some fleur de sel if needed.

Toast brioches in the oven. Top them with salad leaves, mango, chilli and ginger mayonnaise, finely sliced red onions, a pile of shredded duck, pomegaranate seeds and finish off with fresh coriander leaves. I served my burgers with sweet potato fries with an Indian twist (recipe for these to follow tomorrow!) but those polenta fries would work well too (well, when wouldn't they!).

Mango, chilli and ginger mayonnaise:

1,5 dl good mayonnaise
3 generous tbsp mango purée
1/2 - 1 small chilli
1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
zest and juice 1/2 lime 
pinch (about 1/2 tsp) curry powder

Combine the ingredients and let sit in the fridge for about an hour. Check taste and season if needed.

And the result? McDivine! Whopping wonderful!

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Sunny jam from mango, pineapple, lime and star anise

My duties back when I was working in Betlehem weren't terribly pleasant. Betlehem itself didn't make much of an impression on me either. But the mangos the vendors around Checkpoint 300 sold were nothing short of phenomenal. So juicy; so unbelievably sweet! Even their Indian counterparts had nothing on them and in India they take that fruit so seriously I once actually visited a mango exhibition. Here's a tip that will help one of us save the air fare: they all look the same. 

Since then I haven't come across mangos that would come anywhere close. So, when the craving hits, the frozen cubes are often the best bet. Those were what I used this time as well and came up with this tropical jam. With pineapple. And lime. Star anise gives the jam wonderful, liquorice-like pepperiness and continuing cooking after pureing it gives it lovely toastiness which, together with lime and star anise, makes sure the final product isn't as sickly sweet as you might fear. Carrots would work in this too, though you'd have to steam them before you get cracking with jamming. Instead of star anise you could also use vanilla or ginger - or both! Feel free to get your own creative juices flowing too!

In case you're a jam-making novice, this is a great time to learn the trade - packed in beautiful jars with hand-made labels these make pretty and unique foodie gifts! That on the other hand is a great way to recycle those glass jars that any sun dried tomato-, piquillo pepper-, exotic honey- loving, deli-scouring foodie is bound to have no shortage of. For everything you need to know about jam-making, please see here.

This makes about 8-9 dl of jam

900 g mango cubes (the fruit from about 3 large mangos)

600 g pineapple (that's the content of about 1 large fruit)

750 g jamming sugar

the juice and zest of 1 lime

5 star anise

Measure the ingredients in a pan. Bring to boil and let simmer under a lid for a bout 15 minutes. Remove star anises and blend (in batches if needed) carefully as this is hot. Then pour back into the pan and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes. Keep stirring as you probably have better things to do with your time than scrape burnt bits off the bottom of your pan... Pour into clean jars while still hot, close and let the jars cool in the room temperature before storing them in cold.

And in case you find jams are right up your alley, you might want to try insanely easy and wonderfully toffee-like oven-baked apple jam with ginger and vanilla. If you're into cheeses, vanilla and rosemary infused damson jam just might be for you!


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Prawns, prawns, Asian prawns

King prawns are cheap here. And I mean way cheap.  The size that back home sets me back a good 40 euros a kilo just went down to less than 7 euros at our local supermercado (their fish counter kicks ass!)

So, every time I pop in I end up walking away with, like, a kilo and a half of those big boys. You know, "just in case". And by big I mean big. The taste is just so much better and the texture so much meatier that I don't even consider the scrawny caterpillars available in Finland fit for human consumption. 

I buy mine whole and uncooked. The process of shelling and preparing them from the scratch just fills me with such meditative merriness ("Zen and the art of veining"- coming to W.H.Smith near you...). And we don't like to waste anything, so especially if I'm making a bigger batch, I make quick seafood stock from the shells. One of its many uses is a slightly pimped version of the classic English fish pie that the Gentleman loves (more on this in the blogs to follow!).

And prawns, like fish in general, is true fast food. It's quick, good, light, easy and all that jazz.

And since we always have a couple of kilos of those fishy fellas lurking in the freezer, I'm always on the lookout for new ways to make the most of them. Last time the inspiration came from somewhere in the Pan-Asian region. The result was coconut prawns with mango-chilli dip. And man, it was good. The amount of chilli has been toned down a bit for the recipe below- I dare to assume purple is not Gentleman's natural skin colour...

The dip was originally developed as a a sauce to cook chicken in (this too, soon to follow), but it was so good I just had to have some more of it.

serves 4 (or 1 greedy girl such as me...)

24 king prawns, peeled and shelled
2 egg whites
3 dl coconut flakes

Sauce:

1 generous tsp grated ginger
1 generous tsp chopped garlic
1 generous tsp chopped chillis
grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 generous tsp tomato paste
3/4 dl chicken stock
1 mango, pureed
appr. half a can of coconut milk
a dash of soy sauce
a handful of chopped spring onions
a handful of chopped coriander leaves

Oil for frying

Lightly whisk the egg whites, but not to a point of foaming. Dip the prawns in the mixture and then thoroughly coat them in coconut flakes. This can be done in advance- just keep the prawns in the fridge until ready to fry.

In the meanwhile make the sauce:

Heat some oil in the pan. Add garlic, chilli and ginger. Let them sweat a bit and add curry powder, then zest and juice of a lime and the spring onions. Next add the tomato pure, soy, chicken stock and the mango puree. Let the ingredient boil together for a bit and add the coconut milk. Cook for about 10 minutes. Even if the consistency seems a bit runny, it will set as it cools. Once the consistency is ok, check the taste and remove from the heat. Add the chopped coriander. Let it cool and serve with the fried prawns. 

Heat appr. 1 litre of oil in a pan. Once it's hot, fry the prawns in batches of 4-5 prawns for a few minutes until they get a bit of colour. Lift from the oil with slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel.