Spice up your fruit

You might add paprika to your potatoes, pepper to your cabbage or tuck into a veggie curry, so why should fruit miss out? In fairness apple and cinnamon or rhubarb with ginger are quite common fruit and spice combos, but why stop at that? Fruit is juicy and flavoursome, but adding a touch of spice can just add a bit of a different twist to a dish.

In South Asia it is common to add spice to fruit, think of mango chutney. Fruit Chaat is a spiced fruit salad. Any combination of fruits can be used, but chopped banana, mango and guava commonly feature, which are combined with lemon juice, a little sugar and a teaspoon or two of Chaat spice. The latter can be purchased or you can make your own. The following link details how it can be blended at home - http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/chaatmasala.html - and if you struggle to find mango powder locally, it can be bought online.

In Mexico it's traditional to add lime and chilli to fruit salad. Go easy on the chilli initially; you can always add more, as you don't want to overpower the natural fruit flavours with too much heat!

From a bit closer to home, try spiced fruit compote - add a spoonful to your morning porridge, serve with natural yoghurt or use it instead of sauce on ice cream.


Spiced fruit compote

• Bring 600ml orange juice to the boil with 1 cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, 2 vanilla pods (split length ways) and 12 black peppercorns, heating for 5 mins.
• Add 500g of dried fruit - apricots, figs, prunes and pear make a nice combination - and simmer for 10 mins.
• Allow to cool, but can be enjoyed hot or cold.