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If you grew up in the Caribbean, as I did, you are definitely a fan of 'mango chow.' Yummy, finger lickin' good, but we're not talking about Kentucky Fried Chicken! Just to get a little off-track here, Trinidad's KFC is the best seasoned KFC in the world! Now, let's return to discussing mango chow. We are going to talk a little about 'mango chow' and the ingredients that make it taste so delicious, especially the use of chandon benni! Let's dive in!
My original goal was to do a post about Chandon benni with the goal of posting the various names that this Caribbean seasoning herb goes by in various countries. Then it dawned on me that this is one of the magic ingredients that we used to put in our 'mango chow' to add flavor and not lose the joy of eating that 'mango chow' with added Scotch Bonnet pepper! I will illustrate my point with a short story.
It was one of those sweltering hot days in Trinidad. We were younglings, and mischief was our way of getting things done. Seven boys are liming under a mango tree with branches bending from the weight of the full mangoes (the next stage is to ripen). Hey Fraff, how about some chow boi? We agreed that it was a wonderful idea, and everyone scampered away to get something to add to the chow. We collected a bowl, pepper, a head of garlic, salt, and Scotch bonnet pepper, also known as the yellow market pepper due to its popularity and abundance in the markets. Lastly, we found the chandon benni, a crucial ingredient, abundantly growing everywhere, including near the mango tree!
The next challenge was to get the mangoes we wanted. There was no need to climb for mangoes; a few big stones pelted onto the heavily laden branches were good enough to get us the mangoes we needed. I could still hear Miss Maud cursing as a few of the stones fell on her house. We got a few half ripe mangoes and some "full green ones"... ideal for the chow. We washed the mangoes at the street standpipe, peeled them, and cut them into slices. No, not cubes; that is what the foodies do for mango chow videos today. Back in the day, we sliced the mangoes and even put the seed with traces of mango pulp in the chow. Then, we added salt and black pepper, crushed garlic, sliced Scotch bonnet pepper, and chopped cilantro, also known as chandon benni, which the Trinis affectionately refer to as shadow benni. We tossed and sampled it for taste (especially salt), added a touch of water, and mixed it all well... ahhh, it was time to eat!
Mango niceness indeed... That mango chow, our childhood humble dish, gained legendary status with the addition of the chandon beni, a fragrant green herb with long serrated leaves, which transformed any dish, making even a simple pot of rice and beans burst with flavor. However, for us, it added that touch of magic to help us tolerate the Scotch bonnet pepper (remember the yellow market pepper).
Oh man... the good old days! We devoured the tangy-spiced delight, licking our fingers as the chandon beni performed its magic. "Boi, this chow, it's lashing, boi!" exclaimed one of them, her eyes widening with delight. But the excitement soon turned into chaos when the Scotch bonnet kicked in. Faces went red, tongues fanned the air, and panicked shrieks echoed through the yard as they scrambled for relief—gulping water, sucking ice, anything to tame the fiery storm. Miss Maude, who was upset with us for pelting the mangoes with stones falling on her house, was now laughing from her porch, enjoying the spectacle. She said this was the first burn and that we would have to endure the pain in our behinds when we went to the bathroom! The pain was unbearable, yet somehow, they kept reaching for more. Despite the fire and tears, they couldn't resist the delicious mango chow with chandon beni.
We added a song to accompany the post. Initially, I wanted to post the Trinidad folk song "Mangoes" by Olive Walke's La Petite Musicale but decided on something more contemporary for the post. I came across Sevana's mango. We would appreciate hearing your thoughts on the song.
To get back to our original idea, here are other common names for Culantro aka Chandon Benni:
Other common names for Chandon Beni, aka Culantro, are:
- Sawtooth coriander
- Serrated coriander
- Recao (Puerto Rico)
- Chadron benee (Dominica)
- Chandon beni (shadow-beni) and Bhandhania (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Coulante (Haiti)
- It weed (Guyana)
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Production Notes/Music Credits:
Song Title: Mango
Artist/Performed by: Sevana
Real Name: Anna-Sharé Blake
Origin: Jamaica
Genre: Dancehall Style?
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