Author Notes
Last Saturday I made this for an impromptu Cinco de Mayo party and loved how the green mango stood in for a more traditional citrus addition. —gingerroot
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Ingredients
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1
whole dried New Mexico red chile
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3
ripe Champagne or Ataulfo mangoes, peeled and chopped for 3 cups of fruit
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1
firm green mango, peeled and chopped for about a cup of fruit
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1
cup peeled and sliced cucumber
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1/4
cup chopped red onion
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1 tablespoon
rough chopped cilantro stems
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1 1/2 teaspoons
cumin seeds
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1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt (plus more to taste if necessary)
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2 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil
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1/4
cup water
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Crema Mexicana for serving (can substitute crème fraiche)
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Generous amounts of toasted pepitas for serving
Directions
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Using kitchen shears remove stem from chile and discard. Cut chile into small ½-inch squares and place in a bowl. Cover chile with hot water and let rehydrate for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and discard the water (but not the seeds). Place soaked chile pieces (and seeds) in the bowl of a food processor.
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Add the next five ingredients (through cilantro stems) to the food processor.
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Toast cumin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, shaking pan to prevent burning. Crush seeds in a mortar and pestle. Add to soup mixture along with kosher salt.
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With the machine running, add olive oil and water in a stream through chute. Continue processing, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides with a spatula, until mixture is smooth and mango pieces are no longer visible.
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Transfer soup to a bowl or quart glass measure and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours and up to a day to allow flavors to meld. Before serving, stir and taste for salt, adding more if necessary.
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When serving, portion soup into small bowls, stir in crema (start with a teaspoon), and top with toasted pepitas. Enjoy.
My most vivid childhood memories have to do with family and food. As a kid, I had the good fortune of having a mom who always encouraged trying new things, and two grandmothers who invited me into their kitchens at a young age. I enjoy cooking for the joy it brings me - sharing food with loved ones - and as a stress release. I turn to it equally during good times and bad. Now that I have two young children, I try to be conscientious about what we cook and eat. Right about the time I joined food52, I planted my first raised bed garden and joined a CSA; between the two I try to cook as sustainably and organically as I can. Although I'm usually cooking alone, my children are my favorite kitchen companions and I love cooking with them. I hope when they are grown they will look back fondly at our time spent in the kitchen, as they teach their loved ones about food-love.
Best of all, after years on the mainland for college and graduate school, I get to eat and cook and raise my children in my hometown of Honolulu, HI. When I'm not cooking, I am helping others grow their own organic food or teaching schoolchildren about art.
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