Creamy Mango Soup

One of the most surprising things for me in New York City was how much fresh produce is around.  When I look at a map, I am always fascinated by the compactness of the Northeast and the density of the population.  Starting in DC, it seems like it’s nothing but metropolis after metropolis with open country a rarity.  Yet, you can’t walk six blocks in New York without running into a Fruit Cart overloaded with fresh fruit and vegetables.  The bodega on my corner?  Frequently has coconuts.  Coconuts!  Very odd.

That’s why, in the midst of this hot town, summer in the city (Lovin’ Spoonful!), I didn’t blink twice when Robbie asked me to make this mango soup he’d seen in our favorite market.  Luckily, he did not taste it so there were no expectations to meet.  He just saw the words creamy, mango and soup put together into a phrase that exemplifies his favorite thing ever – Creamy Mango Soup.

 

I just bopped over to the fruit stand and picked up a few mangos and went to work.  In thirty minutes we had a refreshing bowl of not-too-sweet mango goodness.  It would have taken only twenty minutes if one of my mangos hadn’t been of the more fibrous variety and required me to do some creative sieving through a sifter. 

I am not going to lie, I was hoping for more of an ice cream flavor (I don’t know why, there was neither cream, nor frozen liquid in the recipe) so the savoriness of it took me by surprise on first taste.  But the richness of the yogurt combined with the subtlety of the mango was satisfying. 

Creamy Mango Soup
Adapted from The Wimpy Vegetarian

3 ripe mangos (I found that if you have a mango where meat isn’t pulling as cleanly away from the skin as it should, put it down and go buy another one.  This means it will most likely have fibers that will mix into the soup and not dissolve appropriately creating a less-than-smooth soup.)
1 seven-ounce container of plain, low-fat Greek yogurt
¼ cup light coconut milk
¼ cup low fat milk
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons lime juice
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons honey

Peel and slice the mangos, putting the meat into a bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and, using an immersion blender, blend until creamy.  A regular blender or food processor would also work.  Chill for at least an hour before serving, or, better yet, chill overnight.