Hues of Summer- Fruit Salad with toasted coconut & Mango skewers

Yesterday I watched Sun. Yes I know it''s omnipresent and been in my life for every second, every part of it. Yet consistency is not a virtue easily appreciated. When with blinking eyes I did see Sun, I saw what I had not seen before. I saw a face. A human face.

In the quietness of the night slipping away, I tried to rise to see the beauty of dawn. It was then I saw a face of a child waking up. Gently rubbing his eyes to wake up from the blanket of clouds. The innocence of the child was emitted through the softness of its light.

In the early noon, when my eyes met his, I saw a man of the world. Ready to take on the world. The confidence was there for all to see in the brightness of the face and glow of the aura it exuded.

At the peak of the day, when I dared to look at him, I saw the eyes of a mad man. Angry with the world & with him. And as if punishing himself, it was gulped in the scorching heat, that was overflowing from its' heart & mind. enveloping it.

In the evening, I saw the grace and warmth of a woman in him. A lady, whose heart is filled with love as she returns her home and meets her beloved at the horizon. This love was a spectacle of gold in the sky in all its lovely hues.

These lovely hues entered my bowl of this fruit salad. And just like the varied moods of sun, there were different textures in this simple platter of fruit salad with toasted coconut & mango skewers. Enjoy!!

Fruit Salad Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups assorted fruits of your choice. I used mango, banana & blackberry

1/2 - 1 tbsp honey/ sugar (optional)

2 tbsp fruit juice (either juice of the canned fruit or frozen fruit or fresh juice)

1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes

Method:

Peel and chop mangoes, Cut bananas in thick slices and leave blackberries as is or cut in half

Mix it in a bowl with fruit juice and 1-2 tbsp sugar/ honey, if desired and keep in fridge to chill

Meanwhile heat pan and dry roast 3 tbsp of desiccated coconut, till lightly toasted

Spoon mixed fruits in individual serving dish and top it with toasted coconut. Serve chilled

Note: Alternately you can mix juice with yogurt and top fruits with that too!

Mango Skewers

Seen here first

Peel 2 mangoes and cut in wedges

Place mango wedges on skewers

In a small bowl, mix a pinch of salt with 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp chaat masala.

Sprinkle the spice mix on the mango wedges. Can also top with a bit of lime juice to add tang

Serve cold

These are the simplest flavour combinations. Yet what I have now started appreciating is the balance of flavours and beauty of simplicity (as shown in my appreciation for sunlight). So this cheerful plate has sweet, fruity, tangy, spicy and crunchy all mixed in one. How good is that? And for all those who missed out the fun, there was a little bit of mango mania at my blog. A snapshot of that:

Mango Fool Mango Ice Cream Mango Granita