I love melon and I love smoothies. Not necessarily for breakfast, and not only during the hot summer months when ice-cold drinks seem nothing less than heaven-sent, but just about any time I feel like it.

But melon can be monotonously sweet. I usually pour in a teaspoonful of calamansi juice to add a refreshing zest to the sweetness of the melon. So, when I chance upon almost ripe mangoes — on the verge of sweetness but with a sharp tang of the sourness that it is about to discard (we describe as nag-aagaw tamis) — I ditch the calamansi juice.

Half a melon and one large or two medium not-quite sweet mangoes make the perfect smoothie. You get enough to fill two tall glasses. Double or triple the ingredients if serving to more than two people.

Scooping melon flesh to separate from the skin

Cut a medium-sized melon in half (you will only need one portion so set aside the other half). Cut the half melon into slices and scoop the flesh with a spoon or teaspoon, cut into cubes and dump into the blender.

Scooping mango flesh to separate from the skin

Slice the mango, discard the stone at the center, score with a sharp pointed knife to create squares then scoop out the flesh with a spoon or teaspoon directly into the blender.

Adding ice and sugar to mango and melon in blender

Add sugar (honey works too), pour in about half a cup of cold water and top with lots of ice. Pulse the blender a couple of times to start the processing. Then, set on low and process of about 15 seconds. Turn up the speed to high until the ice is crushed.

Adding milk to mango and melon in blender

Remove the cover, pour in about half a cup of milk and process on low speed for about five seconds. Pour the mango melon milkshake into drinking glasses and enjoy.

Mango and melon smoothie

Connie Veneracion

For an ultra cold smoothie, chill the fruits before cutting and pureeing. Add just enough water to help the blender motor process the fruits. The amount of sugar you need depends on how sweet or bland the melon is, how tart the mangoes are and what flavor balance you're looking for.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 0

Total Time 10

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings glasses

Ingredients

▢ 2 cups cubed semi-ripe mangoes
▢ 2 cups cubed melon cantaloupe, not watermelon
▢ sugar or honey, to taste
▢ ½ cup cold milk

Instructions

Dump the cubed mangoes and melon into the blender.
Add sugar (start with two teaspoons), half a cup of ice cold water and about six ice cubes.
Process until smooth and the ice cubes are crushed.
Pour in the milk.
Process on LOW speed just until blended.
Taste, add more sugar, if needed, and pulse a few times before serving.