It was one of those occasions when we were expecting a guest – someone who wud come to our house for the first time. I was thinking about ideas for an innovative starter & that is when my eyes fell on the ripe seasonal mangoes kept in the corner of the kitchen.

I thot – Why not use mangoes? Mangoes? Mangoes for a starter? ……………………. ok, why not a dip made with mangoes? & then slowly over the next 30 minutes I figured it out, tried it & really loved it. So did my guests.

Here is how u can try doing the same.

Peel 2 mangoes & finely chop the mangoes as much as u can. See the pic to get an idea of how u can chop.

Keep the minced mangoes aside.

Take 100 grams of black Kalamata olives & chop them finely.

I chose the thyme flavoured one – that adds a bit of flavour. U can get these olives at superstores quite easily.

Mince half of a medium sized onion. Take 4 green chillies. Slit them into halves, de-seed & finely mince them.

Finely chop a small bunch of coriander leaves.

To assemble the salsa / dip, add all the above ingredients in a bowl. Add juice of 1 lemon & 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Add approx ¼ teaspoon salt & 1 teaspoon sugar .

Mix gently but thoroughly. If u mix vigorously, the mango pieces will tend to turn into pulp which wud hamper the texture of the dish.

Let this stand for some time till the sugar dissolves. Taste & adjust seasoning (salt & sugar levels) coz it wud vary depending on the extent of sweetness / sourness of the mango.
…………………… & ur salsa is ready. Wow.

Take a pita bread. Cut it into slices as shown in the pic.

Toast it in an oven 50 degrees centigrade for 15 minutes until crisp. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil & serve with the mango salsa.

If u can get ur hands on plain salted nachos, u can use them in place of toasted pita bread.

Enjoy ur creation & let ur guests remember this cool dish for long.