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May 17, 2006
'Proper' mango method doesn't cut it
J.M. HIRSCH of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS writes:
There is a right way and a wrong way to prepare a mango. I favor the wrong way.
That's because virtually every food expert and cookbook I have consulted advocates using the "right" method, a process I consider stupid, wasteful and dangerous.
But before delving into the ontology of mango preparation, let's talk about the fruit itself.
I concede that getting at the flesh of a mango isn't easy. Most mangoes sold in the United States resemble large green and red eggs with a thick, bitter skin. Inside, tender yellow flesh surrounds (and firmly attaches itself to) a large, oblong pit.
To free the flesh from the skin and pit, most experts suggest cutting the mango into three pieces lengthwise so that the pit is contained in the middle piece. This leaves you with two sections that are flat on one side and rounded on the other. Discard the pit.
Next, use a paring knife to score (in a crosshatch pattern) the flesh of the two remaining sections. Be sure to cut down to, but not through, the skin.
Now flip each section inside out so that the scored mango flesh is jutting outward and the skin side forms a shallow bowl.
Still with me? This is where it gets dangerous.
Holding one of the inverted (and slippery) sections in one hand, use the paring knife to carefully cut the cubes of mango flesh (and perhaps your own) from the skin. You won't get it all. Don't bother trying.
You'll now have a pile of oddly shaped mango cubes and will have little choice but to throw out about a third of the fruit.
If you'll pardon the expression, what were those people smoking when they came up with that technique? So here's my way. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the entire mango. Go a bit deeper than you normally would, as the skin is thick. Stand the mango on end and use a knife to cut the sides away from the pit.
This should leave you with two large chunks of flesh. Now use a paring knife to trim the flesh away from the ends of the mango pit.
It's that easy. You're left with large slabs of mango flesh that can be cubed, sliced or otherwise prepped as you like, and with little to no waste.
To make life even easier, consider investing in one of the new mango splitters. These great little gadgets resemble those round apple corer-slicers that you push down over the apple.
The mango version carefully cleaves the flesh from the pit.
Follow my directions for peeling, then use the mango splitter instead of the knife. Wonderful invention.
Posted by Lisa at May 17, 2006 08:47 PM
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