Mangoes were considered the ‘queen of fruits’ where I grew up. They still are. Everything about them screams summer. The vibrant sunny appearance or the sweet succulent refreshing interior. We owned a large orchard and summer time meant eating tonnes of fruit. The green unripe ones would be used for cooking and the ripe ones would make their way into every corner of the house. Boxes and baskets of fruit to be given away to friends and neighbours. The air subtly scented with smell of sweet mangoes. Meal times made special with platefuls of peeled, cut mangoes to finish off. The varieties endless and names so many that it was hard for one to remember.
Alas! A glut of mangoes today, is something that exists only in my memory or possibly in my dreams. In the part of the world where I live now mangoes can be expensive. And make a fleeting appearance. So, it’s case of ‘enjoy while it lasts!’ However, thanks to technology there are options. Like canned mangoes and mango juice. No substitute to the fresh ones in my opinion but okay when you crave for a taste of the glorious fruit.
If mangoes stand for summer, so does ice. While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my share of ice creams and popsicles this summer, my freezer has been packed with trays of Granita. Using both fresh fruit and store bought juice. They are so fun to make with a bit of this and that. The best part is shaving the ice. You can do it over and over again. Melt, freeze, shave. It’s a great way of adding life into store bought juices. And one can enjoy them even when fruits are not in season.
The flavours of this Granita are sensational. You have to taste to know. Mint and lime add a burst of freshness in your mouth which balances the sweetness of the mangoes.
There are no hard and fast rules while making a Granita. One adds flavours of choice, sweetness as per taste. It can be served with fresh fruit, a fruit sauce or even yoghurt or cream. Store bought juices vary in sweetness, so the sugar may need adjustment.
Mango, Mint and Lime Granita
Serves 6-8
500 ml store bought mango juice
1/4 cup sugar (or as per taste)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
Juice of 2 limes
Place the juice and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir till sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cool slightly and add the mint leaves and lime juice. Pour into a shallow baking tray and cool to room temperature. Don’t discard the mint leaves. They get shredded and distributed during the process of shaving the Granita.
Carefully, transfer the tray into your freezer. Scrape at hourly intervals to form crystals until frozen (4-6 hours)
Wow!!! I love your photography, Sonali…But this time you have outdone yourself. These are stunning!! And the granita is made from one of my fave fruits: mangoes!!! I am looking forward to trying this soon…
Looks simply fabulous and you know what? the heatwave over here is extremely disastrous. Even the aircon isn’t going any good.
And the mango granita………… just perfect to cool all of us.
What a beautiful celebration of summer! Gorgeous colours and flavours. I automatically love pairing lime with summer fruit… it just seems to bring out the sweetness and depth of flavour. A bit of effort involved in this but totally worth it! xx
The end of mango season makes me sad 🙁 I’ve been looking for some mangoes lately but they’re so expensive now! Your granita looks amazing!
These looks absolutely wonderful! I completely go with you, nothing can beat the fresh juicy mangoes and yes staying far away from home, we can just be thankful to the technology and have some canned fruits and juice…..
I love granita…but have yet to try this combination…looks delicious and so refreshing putting together mango and mint…
Thanks for the recipe Sonali, hope you are having a fabulous week:D
Really stunning clicks, the granita looks so tempting and refreshing. Wish I had had such an orchard in my childhood.
Such a lovely burst of sunshine in our dreary winter! Mint and lime are so perfect with mango, I love that combo in a salad so it’s nice to see it in a cold treat! I have to agree that mangoes are not the same here as they are in India or Pakistan. My grandparents had trees and we had planted trees in our summer home but I never got to see it bear fruit. Something so different about the mangoes there. Xx
I think this is an apt way of saying goodbye to mangoes, as this granita looks way refreshing and delicious 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
It’s been a crazy cold winter heare with tonnes of snow being dumped all over the place but I still want to make this mango and lime granita… hahah. I must be crazy coz most people make granitas in the summer but it just looks soooooo good and the color is so beautiful that I want to make it NOW! lol
Sonali! This looks sooo delicious. Lime and mango are two of my favourite ingredients so bookmarking this for next summer. The weather seems to be cooling down here so don’t know if I’ll get a chance to try it this summer!
I have had one or the other but never a combination of both. What a lovely idea. My mango tree is flowering now so I will have to try this combo soon.
this is what I like. If you can add some salad with it then I think the dish would look so special. I can make it man!