Chilled Mango Soup

Chef

Cookbook

Vegetarian Planet

Published by Harvard Common Press

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This image courtesy of Joseph DeLeo

Editor's Note: This summer, cool off by enjoying a bowl of Chilled Mango Soup! The make-ahead recipe's ingredients include yogurt, sweet onion, an assortment of herbs and spices, and of course a substantial amount of mango. This chilled mango soup can be ready to eat within about two hours and is the perfection dinner option for those hot summer nights when you don't feel like standing by a hot stove. Consider serving your favorite flatbread or a slice of fresh-baked bread with this easy chilled soup recipe, along with a green salad. You'll be glad you have this light and refreshing soup on your radar for summer!

Most fruit soups I try I’d rather have for dessert than for a first or main course. This soup is different; it has a slight sweetness, but most of the presiding flavors, including onion, curry, and cilantro, are savory. Because the “cream” in this soup is really yogurt, this dish is deceptively low in fat and calories.

Serves4

Cooking MethodSauteeing

CostModerate

Total Timeunder 4 hours

Make Ahead RecipeYes

OccasionCasual Dinner Party, Formal Dinner Party

Recipe CourseAppetizer, Main Course

Dietary ConsiderationVegetarian

EquipmentBlender, Food Processor

MealDinner, Lunch

Taste and TextureCreamy, Fruity, Savory, Spiced, Sweet

Type of DishCold Soup, Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder, store-bought or homemade
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 large or 3 small ripe mangoes, peeled and pitted
2½ cups water
2/3 cup orange juice
2 cups yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch fresh-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons tuong chile sauce or other red chile sauce (see Note below)
4 lime wedges

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook them, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until they soften. Add the curry and the ginger, and cook another 5 minutes, letting the onions brown along the edges.
Add the mango flesh to the cooked onions. Add the water and orange juice, and let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes.
Purée the mixture in a food processor or blender, in batches if necessary. Then pass the purée through a sieve into a bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula or spoon to extract all the liquid.
Stir in the yogurt, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Chill the soup for at least 1 hour, preferably 2.
To serve, fancifully squirt or lightly spoon hot sauce on top of each bowl of soup. Accompany each serving with a wedge of lime, and urge your friends to squeeze the lime into the soup.