Gingered Mango and Green Tea Refresher
Cool off this summer—and treat yourself to a healthy dose of antioxidants—with this Gingered Mango and Green Tea Refresher.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Green tea, ginger, and mango—the combination sounds intriguing and tastes even better. The light ginger notes help showcase the creamy rich flavor of fresh mango, which is more like ice cream than a sorbet (especially if you put it in the freezer for a bit). This treat is a bone-builder if there ever was one, with polyphenols—the technical name for healthy plant compounds—from the green tea combined with antioxidants and minerals from the fruit.
For those who are watching their sugar intake, it’s perfectly possible to use erythritol or stevia to sweeten this recipe. In this version, Chef Jeannette decided to go with honey, about which I have a few things to say. I absolutely love the stuff, think it’s one of nature’s delicacies, and am happy that the real, local, cold-pressed, organic kind contains not just sugar, but quite a few healthy enzymes, minerals, and other components of “real” food.
But I’m also aware that it’s sugar, and that the body treats it as a sugar. So if you’re anywhere on the insulin- resistant spectrum—and 88 percent of us are—you might want to lose the honey and stick with erythritol.
I’ve tried this recipe both ways—with honey and with erythritol—and it’s delicious either way. It’s fresh and tropical, and you’ll find yourself swirling it around in your mouth before swallowing.
—Dr. Jonny
Notes from Chef Jeannette
Dried mango is tough and leathery. It’s easier to use kitchen shears than a knife to snip it into pieces. For this green tea refresher, loose tea leaves are preferable to tea bags because there simply isn’t enough water for the required number of bags. If you have bags, tear them open and use just the leaves.
If you want to freeze the pudding but don’t have an ice cream maker, pour it evenly into a deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with a layer of plastic wrap. Freeze 2–4 hours, depending on preferred consistency (2 hours will give you a slushier consistency, like a thick frappe, while 4 hours will give you a consistency more like a sorbet).
To serve, set the pie plate on the counter for about 5 minutes, until you can remove the mango. Break it into chunks with a heavy knife and process in food processor until smooth, about 20 seconds. If you refreeze processed portions, wait 10–15 minutes before serving.
Related:
Gingered Mango Green Tea Refresher
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened dried mangoes, chopped
- 2 Tbs. loose green tea leaves (about 4 tea bags)
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 Tbs. raw honey, to taste
- 1/3 cup grated ginger, or more, to taste
- 3 cups ripe mango (about 4 fruits), peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
Preparation
- In small bowl, cover dried mangoes with water and soak about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place tea leaves into mug and add boiling water. Set small plate on top to cover and steep 4 minutes. Remove plate and gently strain tea through double mesh sieve into small bowl.
- Whisk in honey until completely dissolved. Squeeze grated ginger so that juice runs into tea.
- Drain dried mango and place in food processor. Add fresh mango and process until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary.
- Pour prepared tea syrup into mango purée and process until smooth and well incorporated.
- Eat immediately as a pudding, chill in fridge to thicken slightly and enjoy later, or run mixture though ice cream maker, following the factory directions.
Nutrition Information
- Calories 160
- Carbohydrate Content 39 g
- Cholesterol Content 0 mg
- Fat Content .5 g
- Fiber Content 3 g
- Protein Content 2 g
- Saturated Fat Content 0 g
- Sodium Content 0 mg
- Sugar Content 33 g