Somewhere in the World it's Mango Season

I'm not sure why, but seems like during the fall in the San Francisco Bay Area, we see a lot of mangoes for sale at the supermarkets. Growing up in Hawaii, I remember mangoes as a summer fruit, typically in late May. And being from Hawaii, I'm biased and say there are no better mangoes than freshly picked ones from Hawaii.

Of course, you can only enjoy Hawaiian mangoes in Hawaii. California laws prohibit the importing of fruits, especially mangoes, from Hawaii because of the fear of fruit flies. So instead, California gets most of its mangoes from Mexico and other Latin American countries. Mangoes, the ultimate sign of the tropics, are often used for desserts or eating just as it is. But in Burma and other Southeast Asian cooking, it's often made into a main dish with a savory touch. (Have you ever had mango garlic noodles? To die for!) The recipe below is my creation of the popular mango chicken dish in many Southeast Asian cooking. Get tropical this winter!