Slice and Dice: Mangoes

During my last trip to Kerala, I stayed with my dad’s younger sister, Jolly. I wanted to learn her culinary secrets so we spent a lot of time in the kitchen. It quickly become my favorite space in the house. An oft used jug of coconut oil rested in a cubbyhole above the stove. Peppercorns, which had been plucked from the yard and dried atop a copy of the local paper, were also just within reach. There was an earthenware vessel shaped like a large vase tucked below the stone spice grinder. I learned that my grandmother, Amachi, had used it to ferment green mangoes. After my grandfather died, she swore off pickling India's national fruit, and gave it to Jolly Auntie. Before the hand off, she had prepped many a mango.

The truth is if you want to cook and eat some really lovely Kerala dishes, you'll need to learn to prepare mangoes, which grows in abundance across the state. The native stone fruit can be used when they are firm and green or soft and juicy. Eager to slice one up? Then check out these tips.

How to Select a Mango

Mangoes come in many different shades. However, when selecting the stone fruit, don’t be fooled by its color. Give it a gentle squeeze. If it gives like a ripe peach, you’ll know it’s ready to eat. So nab it.

 How to Prep a Mango

Inside every mango lies a stubborn, oblong pit. The most important step when prepping the succulent fruit is separating the flesh from the pit. Here’s how it’s done: 

Carefully wash the mango. Slice off the tip to make it easier to peel. Then using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin.

Hold the mango on its side on a cutting board. Place the knife right next to the seed and slice off one side. If you hit the seed, move the knife further off center and give it another try.

Rotate the fruit and repeat on the other side.

You’ll be left with a ring of flesh encircling the pit. You have two choices: either nibble it off as a gift to yourself. Or place the seed flat on the cutting board. Following the contour of the pit, slice off the flesh.

How to Slice a Mango

Place one half of the mango on a cutting board.  Cut across the fruit width wise or lengthwise depending on how large you want the slices.

How to Chop a Mango

Place the cut side of the mango on a cutting board.  Cut across it width wise. Rotate the mango 90-degrees and cut across it lengthwise.

This article was originally published on WholeFoodsMarketCooking.com

Mango Lassi Pops

As a child, I remember watching incredulously as my mom waved off Oreos and ice cream in favor of fresh mangoes from the international grocery store. She would walk into the house giddy after shopping. It was a sure sign that the aromatic fruit was in season as my mom loathes shopping. 

While we kids munched on packaged desserts, she would prep the plump pods. In the time it took us to scarf down two cookies, she would remove the green-red skin and oust the seed. Then, she would hold the saffron-colored flesh in her palm, and, with the deft of a seasoned surgeon, chop it into bite-sized chunks. (Really, why use a cutting board?)

Afterwards, my mom would pass the bounty around the table. It was the kindest of gestures considering that both she and my father coveted the fruit of their youth (which grows alongside papaya, jackfruit, and plantains in Kerala). Between bites, they would recount jockeying with their siblings for any fruit that had been left clinging to the seed. 

I always took a pass when the plate reached me as the manga had a perfumy scent that seemed more suitable for wearing than consuming. (It’s an aversion that I outgrew as an adult.) Thankfully, that left more for my parents to devour, which they did, in a matter of minutes. 

MANGO LASSI POPS

Serves 6

If you like mango lassi, you will love these popsicles. The combination of mango and cardamom creates an elegant, ethereal  flavor. I use canned mango pulp rather than fresh mangoes as it can be hard to find well-ripened fruit throughout the summer. Check the ingredients on the can or taste the pulp to figure out if it has added sugar. Then sweeten accordingly. 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups mango pulp
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons honey

INSTRUCTIONS

Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Process until thoroughly combined. 

Pour into popsicles molds.

Freeze until solid.