Healthy Mangonada (with optional Homemade Tamarind Straw)
This *surprisingly healthy given how decadent it tastes* mangonada is cool, refreshing, sweet, smokey, and a little spicy! Enjoy this on a hot day or to spice up (literally) your morning smoothie ritual. It's packed with nutrients, naturally sweetened with delicious fruit and is naturally fat-free.
Servings: 2 large mangonadas
Calories: 294kcal
Equipment
- High speed blender
Ingredients
Mango smoothie base
- 4 cups frozen mango chunks
- 2 cups orange juice more or less for thinner/thicker consistency
- fresh lime juice optional
Chamoy Sauce
- 1/2 cup dried apricot
- 1/2 of 1 whole ancho chili dried
- 1/2 of 1 small apricot
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- juice of 1 lime
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Tamarind Straw*
- 2 pods large fresh whole tamarind
- 1/4 cup water total (divided)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
Tamarind Straw*
- Peel off outer shell and remove veins from fresh tamarind (remove seeds if desired)
- Place prepared tamarind and 2 tablespoons of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring and breaking it down with a wooden spoon, until a thick paste forms (adding more water if needed to avoid burning).
- Scoop out paste and reserve.
- In same saucepan pour in coconut sugar, 2 tablespoons of water, and maple syrup over medium high heat.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until fully melted and mixture begins to bubble.
- Add back in tamarind paste and continue to cook for a few minutes until the mixture thickens (about 3-5 minutes).
- Remove from heat and transfer to a long slender glass jar (I used a salad dressing cruet)
- Cool slightly and then dip a non-plastic straw (I used bamboo) in the mixture until fully coated (tilting the glass to properly coat).
- Spread chili powder out onto a plate or cutting board.
- Gently roll the tamarind candy coated straw in the mixture until generously coated.
- Place in freezer to harden while you prepare the rest of the mangonada.
Chamoy sauce
- Place dried apricot and dried chili in a bowl of water and soak briefly (about 10 minutes) to make it easier to blend (possibly longer if you don't have a powerful blender).
- Drain dried apricot and dried chili and place them, along with fresh apricot, lime juice, maple syrup, chili powder, water, and salt in a small blender (I used a Nutribullet) until smooth and well blended.
- Add more liquid, sweetener, or chili powder to your taste / texture preference.
Mango smoothie base
- Place frozen mango chunks, orange juice, and fresh lime juice (optional) in a large powerful blender (I use this Vitamix)
- Blend, using a tamper or stopping to scrape down the sides if needed, until all the ingredients are well blended.
- Add more/less liquid if you want a thinner/thicker texture.
Mangonada Assembly
- In a mason jar or cup of choice coat the rim in lime juice and then dip in chili powder mixture for a coated rim.
- Next spoon chamoy into glass by tilting and turning it as you pour.
- Dust inside of glass with chili powder or tajin.
- Pour in mango smoothie base.
- Top with freshly chopped mango and more chamoy.
- Sip on it with your homemade tamarindo straw!
Notes
Feel free to make this recipe according to your skill/ effort level - you can buy tamarindo straws and chamoy sauce at most Mexican grocery stores.
Your tamarind straw will be less like hard candy and more like a caramel texture. If you freeze it while you make the rest of the mangonada, it should be pretty firm while you sip. However, on a hot day, it may get a little sticky. I personally love the sweet, sour and spicy caramel combined with the chopped mango on top, so I embrace it when this happens.
Depending on how many tamarind straws you make, you will likely have extra tamarind candy paste. This is necessary to have enough mixture to fill a long slender jar to evenly coat the straw. With my extra tamarind sauce, I like to reheat it with a little ginger, cumin, and hot sauce and then drizzle it on Indian food as a homemade tamarind chutney. Alternatively, you could freeze it and make tamarindo candy chews.
Nutrition
Calories: 294kcal