We’ve all seen these on Instagram – beautiful smoothie bowls with sliced fruit arranged in rows along with toasted nuts and seeds aesthetically sprinkled alongside. These visually appealing breakfasts first originated in Brazil when frozen pulp of the açai berry made its way from the Amazonian region to northern Brazilian cities in the 1970s.
The founder of Jujitsu, Carlos Gracie most likely popularised the Açai Bowl by serving frozen açai pulp blended with Banana. In the 2000s, this frozen pulp made its way to the US and slowly became popular.
Açai Bowls soon evolved into Smoothie Bowls with the addition of berries, other fruit and yoghurt. Smoothie Bowls became trendy on Instagram in 2015 soon after Telegraph.co.uk predicted that they would become the next big thing in food – “ditch the straw, grab a bowl!”
While I hope to someday try an Açai Bowl with the berries included, here is my recipe for a Mango Smoothie Bowl, which in my opinion is the perfect way to enjoy breakfast during the season.
Additionally, mango freezes really well, and so these smoothie bowls can be enjoyed year round whenever you’re missing summer and the fruit that is so invariably linked with the season.
The best part of this recipe, in my opinion, is that it is so flexible. Want a more tropical twist? Throw in some coconut while blending! Want to add more fruit? Add a banana or anything else in season! Don’t want to use sugar? Substitute with honey, maple syrup or any other sweetener. A smoothie bowl is very forgiving!
I use regular homemade curds while making these, but you can use a packaged Greek Yoghurt as well. You can skip the oats in favour of any protein powder or leave it out altogether, but I love the texture it adds to the smoothie.
I love my Smoothie Bowl topped with sliced mangoes and bananas. I add homemade granola for some crunch and toasted flax seeds for the Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Include these extras, or don’t – this breakfast is delicious either way.
Hell, if you’re feeling lazy, ditch the bowl and grab a glass and drink it down too! However you choose to consume this breakfast, I can guarantee it’s a great way to start your day!
MANGO SMOOTHIE BOWL
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
Smoothie:
Mango pieces (Fresh or frozen)* - 1 ½ cup
Curd* or Yoghurt – ½ cup
Powdered Sugar or other sweetener – to taste
Oats – 3tbsp
Granola:
Oats – ½ cup
Ground Cinnamon – 1 tsp
Salt – 1/8 tsp
Honey or Maple Syrup – 2 tbsp
Butter – 1 tbsp
Almonds (Optional)* – 6-7
Method:
For the granola:
Mix the oats, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Keep aside.
In a microwaveable bowl, add the honey (or maple syrup) and butter and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the butter has melted.
Add the butter mixture to the oats and mix well. Microwave for 1 Minute.
Stir thoroughly, and microwave again for 30 seconds. Stir.
Roughly chop the almonds and add to the granola mixture. Microwave again for 30 seconds and stir. You should get the lovely aroma of cinnamon, butter and honey, and the oats should have browned.
Microwave for 30 seconds one last time and stir. Allow to cool.
For the smoothie:
Add the mango pieces to a blender along with the oats. Blend for 30 seconds until smooth.
Then add the curd and the sugar and blend again.
Putting it all together:
Pour your smoothie into a bowl of your choice. Spread it out evenly.
Add slices of mango and chopped banana on top – have fun arranging it all!
Sprinkle the cooled granola on top along with some toasted flax seeds.
Enjoy!
*Notes:
Fresh or frozen mangoes work well in this recipe. Frozen mango will result in a thicker, creamier consistency. To freeze mangoes, peel and cut into pieces and store in a reseal able bag in the freezer. If frozen properly and temperature is maintained, the mangoes should keep for 9-12 months.
If you use homemade curd, give it a quick mix with a fork or a whisk to remove lumps before adding to the blender. If you use curd from a packet, massage the packet before opening it for a smooth consistency.
Almonds can be substituted with walnuts or any other nut, or even omitted.
Do comment down below if you try this recipe and let me know what you think! Don't forget to send me photos on Instagram @mosmusingsblog.
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