Mad about mangoes
Photographhy by Yvonne Duivenvoorden
Discover the joys of adding this juicy and sweet fruit to your menu. Try it in main course dishes and desserts, in salads and dips, with chicken to cheese. Your family will love the flavour mango adds to every dish. Get a taste with one of our recipes below.
What it is:
A mango is a fruit with an intense floral aroma and exotic sweet-tart flavour somewhere between a peach and a pineapple. There are hundreds of varieties and most supermarkets sell those that are the size of a small melon or large avocado. Some of the most common types are Tommy Atkins, Haden, Kent and Keitt. Mexican mangoes are plentiful from April through September; Florida mangoes are in good supply from May through August, usually peaking in June and July.
How to buy:
The size of a mango depends on the variety, not an indicator of quality or ripeness. Although there are different colours according to variety, almost all start off green and develop patches of gold, yellow and red as they ripen. A ripe mango yields to pressure when lightly pressed with a finger. The skin will show a blush colour, which increases in area as the fruit ripens. A perfectly ripe mango will have an intense, slightly flowery fragrance. Many black spots and loose or shrivelled skin indicate that a mango is past its prime.
How to store:
Leave underripe mangoes at room temperature for a few days to soften and sweeten. To speed ripening, place one mango in a paper bag along with another fruit, such as another mango, apple or banana. Ripe mangoes can be refrigerated for up to three days.
How to cut:
• To slice and dice: Peel mango. Stand mango upright. Cut with sharp knife along both sides of long flat pit to produce two pieces that are flat on the inside and rounded on the outside. Place, flat side down, on cutting board and slice or dice.
• To cube: Stand mango upright. Cut with sharp knife along both sides of long flat pit to produce two pieces that are flat on the inside and rounded on the outside. Steady one piece at a time, flat side up, on board. Using paring knife, cut flesh horizontally and vertically into squares, being careful not to cut through to skin. Push skin to pop out sections and slice off at skin.
For a cook's treat, nibble off the juicy fruit around the pit and squeeze pit to release juice.
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