Mighty Mango Curry

Last week Whole Foods had a 5 for $5 special for mangos. Obviously I had to indulge in this deal. While the mangos were ripening on my counter, I came across Recipe Tin Eats‘ Mango Thai Red Curry dish. Um, yes please. Sign me up! Was this timing a coincidence? I think not. The original called for fish sauce and while I have no problem eating anything with fish sauce, I literally cannot cook with it to save my life. It would add a tangier, richer flavor, but I did a little modifying and my version is still tasty. I made the mango red curry sauce separate, allowed it to cool and fully thicken into a delectable sauce to then top brown rice and juicy chicken. (Swap the chicken for tofu and sweet potato to be fully vegan and vegetarian! I also tired this over cauliflower rice and it was still so filling.) Mango Red Curry is tangy, not overly sweet, creamy and perfectly spiced.

Ingredients (serves 4-6).

2 t coconut oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced
2 t minced garlic
2 T red curry paste
1 can sliced water chestnuts, chopped **
1/2 c baby carrots, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 can (15 oz) light coconut milk
1 c puréed mango (about 2 small mangoes or 1 large) *
1 can (15 oz.) no salt added diced tomatoes, slightly drained +
Sea salt to taste
2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked (I cooked it in oil, garlic and fresh lime juice) **
2 c brown rice or of choice (like cauliflower rice!)
Lime wedges to garnish
Cilantro to garnish
Sriracha (optional)

* NOTE: use a blender or immersion blender to purée fresh mango.

+ for the diced tomatoes, drain off about half of the liquid. It helps from the sauce from getting too watered down.

** I also made this with 1 sweet potato (cut into small cubes) and 1 package (14 oz) extra firm tofu (pressed to remove excess liquid and cut into small cubes) over cauliflower rice — see photos!

Directions.

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions, ginger and garlic. Sauté until onions are tender and translucent.
Mix in red curry paste, water chestnuts and carrots. Continue sautéing until curry paste is well distributed.
Add coconut milk, mango purée and diced tomatoes. Mix well and reduce to a simmer. Add salt to taste. Allow curry sauce to thicken and then remove from heat.
- If using tofu and sweet potato, add to the sauce and allow all the flavors to simmer for about 5 min before removing from heat.
Let sauce cool and refrigerate overnight. This helps the sauce solidify and thicken.
Plate with 1/2 c hot rice and chicken. Spoon 1 heaping c of heated curry sauce over rice. Garnish with cilantro leaves and fresh lime juice from lime wedge. Sriracha optional.
Enjoy!