Using Mangoes

If you have never used a fresh mango, you are in for a treat. They are really delicious. As a matter of fact, more mangoes are eaten than any other fruit in the world! Unlike several years ago, mangoes are easy to come by in the grocery store. Look for ones with as little green on them as possible and that give slightly when squeezed without feeling too soft.

"Mangoes are known to be a messy fruit because they have a large, flat pit and lots of juice. The best way to cut out the flesh, or just eat mangoes out of hand, is to use the "pop up" method. Place the mango with its narrow side on a cutting surface and the length going north-south. Slice through the mango as close to the pit as possible on one side. Then repeat on the other. You now have two, thick mango slices and the pit, surrounded by a small amount of mango flesh.

Take one of the two thick slices and place, skin side down, on a cutting surface. Make vertical and horizontal slashes through the flesh (but not through the skin), as if you were going to play tick-tack-toe. The actual number of cuts will be determined by how big the mango is and how small you want the cut pieces to be.

Hold the sides of the mango slice with each hand and "pop up" the fruit by turning the skin in an inside-out manner. Then eat the fleshy cubes or cut them away for whatever dish you're preparing. If you don’t want cubes, you can scoop out the flesh from each half with a teaspoon. (A serrated grapefruit spoon works especially well.) Peel the skin that remains around the pit and cut away whatever flesh remains attached to the pit, or eat it over the sink. (Indian cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey calls this your "reward" for having struggled with the mango.)"

I got the above information from this web page. I struggled with my own description until I found this site. http://www.samcooks.com/relish/mangoes.htm

If you are still confused -here's a video - http://joshleo.blogspot.com/2005/08/mango.html

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