Monkeys, Mangoes, Salsa and Bindis at Basunti.

Bindis is the local name for Okra, a bed of which I planted about three months ago. This is now almost two metres high and has been cropping almost continuously for the last six weeks. I have tried every possible way of cooking them, baked, stuffed, fried, steamed and sautéed in various sauces. The tastiest way, in my opinion, is to cook them in a spicy tomato based sauce and then eat with hot, freshly made chapattis.  Having shared the crop with the staff, neighbours and friends, have to say that I am now heartily sick of eating them.

Extreme vigilance is required at the moment, as the mangoes are about a week away from ripening and the monkeys are on the prowl. Mangoes are a favourite delicacy of theirs and they will go to great lengths to get them. Have even seen them post lookouts, while others stage lightening raids. They eat them when they are still green, which tempted me to try them myself, even though my mother always told me not to eat unripe fruit, as they upset your stomach.

The unripe mangoes proved to be really unusual, a bit like eating a very crunchy apple that has a bitter, sweet mango flavour. This lead me to make a very simple salsa, which consisted of chopped tomatoes, diced green mango and shredded wild green, which the locals call jungly sag. To this I added some chopped green chili and completed it with a very simple dressing of lime juice, olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Contrary to my mother’s dire warnings, it did not give me an upset stomach and proved to be absolutely delicious. How I will reciprocate this recipe anywhere else is going to be a bit tricky, but for the moment I am delighted to have created it and it makes a wonderful change from Bindis.