A Pinoy At Home: Fresh Mangoes and Kalamay-Hati!

Every time I fly back to Seoul, I usually bring 'dried mangoes' as presents to my Korean friends. Too bad, I could not bring in fresh mangoes, lest I want to be held up at the Incheon International Airport by the Korean Customs, as fresh produce is not allowed into Korea. But if you want to enjoy a fresh mango, it would cost you about KRW3,000 at a supermarket or at the Pinoy market at Hyehwa-dong in Seoul. 


But today, I got my fresh mangoes at home. Yellow, ripe, juicy and sweet -- my tropical fruit of choice! Ha-ha-ha!  


Sliced and ready to be enjoyed, the fresh mangoes sit there on my table, making me drool in anticipation of the moment when I actually lift my spoon to scoop its juicy pulp. Yummy!

And today, paired with my fresh mangoes, is a local delicacy 'kalamay hati', made of ground sticky rice mixed with sugar and coconut milk cooked to a gummy form, just sweet enough to be twirled in your mouth and is a snack on its own. Thanks to my mom who got it for me!

I will be back to Seoul soon, and may miss these sentimental favorites. So, I'm writing about them now, so in case I crave for them, I have a page where I can slice my mangoes and take a bite of my kalamat-hati. Ha-ha-ha!