belle amatt

Immunity Friendly Sri Lankan Mango Curry recipe

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Belle is a Hurst resident and nutrition consultant, author and lecturer in Naturopathic Nutrition. She holds 1-1 health consultations at The Sussex Osteopath Clinic in Hurstpierpoint and workshops on a variety of healthy eating topics.

In these uncertain times one thing that we can be sure of is that cooking from scratch with healthy ingredients bursting with flavour can support our health and fill the hours of self-isolation. This dish will fill the house with the aromatic smells of spices from far-reaching areas of the world, so take a moment to close your eyes and teleport yourself to a warm and wonderful beach somewhere.

The central feature of this dish is unripe mangoes, which can be bought from Gibson’s or ordered online. Mangoes are rich in vitamins A and C which are two nutrients known to have positive effects on our immune health. Also, it is incredibly soothing on the taste buds. The combination of sweet coconut with the sharpness of the unripe mango is unique and the tenderness of those mango chunks, cooked in their skins, shouldn’t be missed. Give it a go. This dish is deceptively easy.

It is vegan and gluten-free so works well as a main course for some or as a side dish alongside a meat or fish curry.


4-5 servings dependent on whether the dish is a main or a side dish

Ingredients:
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• One half of a medium red onion sliced
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 ½ tsp curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey
• 1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ heaped tsp sea salt plus more to taste
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup coconut milk
• 2 small chilli pepper slices cut lengthways or across, and de-seeded if you prefer your curry less spicy
• 3 UNRIPE mangoes
• ¼ tsp white vinegar

Instructions:

1. Wash and cut the mangoes. DO NOT PEEL. The peel helps to maintain the shape of the fruit as it cooks. To cut the mangoes - slice off the top stem, and then slice off the cheeks of the mangoes. Cut the sides off the mango stone. Then cut each mango cheek into 3 strips, so that all the mango pieces are roughly equal in size. You will end up with 8 mango pieces.

2. Heat 3 tbsp of coconut oil in a large non-stick saucepan. Add the sliced onion, garlic and mustard seeds. Saute for a few minutes until the onions have softened.

3. Add the curry powder, sugar/honey, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix for a few seconds to heat the curry powder until you can smell the spices.

4. Add water, desiccated coconut and coconut milk, and mix through and heat to simmer. Add the mangoes, peppers and white vinegar and gently mix to coat the mangoes with the spices. Cover and let the mango curry simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring gently every 5 minutes, until the mango flesh has softened, but still retains its shape. Halfway through the cooking process, taste the curry and season to taste. Stir to combine, and cook for the remaining time.

Serve hot with basmati or wild rice. Enjoy!

Balloon Girl book written by Hurstpierpoint's Bella Amatt

Belle Amatt wrote her modern day teenage tale Balloon Girl

By Belle Amatt

Balloon Girl is a modern day tale, a 21st century fable if you like, which charts the lives of a troubled but enchanting teen, Sylvie, and her mother, Anna. Through a series of flashbacks and memories, Sylvie explores how she became the 18 year old girl who stands on Brighton beach broken and lost in the depths of melancholy and regret. The journey we are taken on will explore our position as parents, our responsibility as role models and whether we can really blame our parents for our misgivings, and, if we do, can we forgive?

What inspired the premise you may well ask? Many years ago I led a series of child obesity projects in Sussex, working with both children and their families. The aim of the 12 week course was to offer a framework in which families could find the causes or the weight gain and so use this knowledge to push forward with helping their child’s weight loss. I learnt a huge amount about role-modelling, blame, denial and the drivers of success, those being honesty and open-mindedness. 

What works in these cases? A willingness to press the pause button at times, reflect on one’s own behaviour and consider how change is needed. The process requires a lot of self-acceptance, so is not always the easiest path.

This was the seed which prompted the theme. However, like all healthy seeds it grew into something bigger. This novel is much more than a tale of body image. It is about intricate family relationships, belief systems and conventionality. It may even evoke in some that depth of teenage passion which is all consuming and capable of reaching deep into the core.

Balloon Girl by Belle Amatt is available to download as an e-book from Amazon