How To Cut A Mango

Do not be fooled by the sweet smell and tempting cubes or slices of the most delicious fruit around – mango! A mango can taste delectable in smoothies and chutneys; luscious in salsas and desserts; but this slimy and slippery fruit can leave you with a big, juicy mess if you happen to mistakably apply the wrong approach at the time of cutting it. Moreover, extracting the flat seed in the middle can even be trickier. Thus, to enjoy this enticing fruit to the fullest, you need to master the art of slicing and cutting a mango neatly. Given here are certain helpful tips that will guide you through the entire process of cutting a mango, without creating any mushy and slippery mess.

Tips For Cutting Mangoes

Select a ripe mango which is not overly ripe. A ripe mango has a strong yellow color on the skin with some pink and red shades in some places.
You will notice that a mango has a very large, flat seed and hence, cannot be sliced through the center. Also, a mango has two opposing flat sides. Thus, place the mango on a cutting board with one flat side resting on it.
Using a serrated knife, slice the mange lengthwise close to the seed.
Turn over the mango and slice the other side as well in the same manner.
You will have two ovals of mango, known as ‘cheeks’, with pulp in their skin.
Keep aside the mango seed for later use.
Make a checkerboard pattern in the mango cheeks by cutting parallel slices into the mango flesh. Turn the mango cheek to 90 degrees rotation and cut another set of parallel slices into the mango flesh. Be careful not to cut through the mango skin.
Hold one mango cheek with your thumbs and turn the scored mango inside out by pushing the mango skin from beneath with your fingers.
Carefully scrape the mango chunks from the skin, using a knife or spoon, by cutting it between the cubed mango pulp and the skin.
Discard the mango skin and transfer the mango cubes into a serving bowl.
With the mango seed left aside, cut two slices of mango from the outer edges of the mango.
Peel the skin from the mango pulp.
Dice these two mango slices and add them to the rest of the diced mango.
A medium sized fresh mango yields about 1 cup of diced mango.

Tips

For a picturesque plate, you can leave the mango cubes set in the mango skin itself. Simply push the pulp of the mango skin outwards such that the mango skin forms the shape of an inverted spoon. This will make the mango open up to create a flower blossoming. Not only will the mango make for a beautiful centerpiece, but also its wonderful aroma will waft through the entire room.
Whenever you move out for buying mangoes, look out for those that are a blend of red, orange and yellow colors with some green shades as well. The more green the skin, the less ripe the fruit is. Squeeze the mango a little using your thumb; if it moves in a little, the mango is ripe enough to be eaten.

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