How The?!: Cutting a Mango
Z thinks the things I “can’t handle” are hilarious. I can roast a chicken, drive a stick, and do an oil painting in 5 hours. But I give him an “are you serious?!” stare if he asks me “guesstimate” a measurement or eat a blueberry (um, just no). Or cut a mango.
For a long time I just didn’t understand mangos, mainly because of the oddly shaped pit they have. That blew my mind. How do I know where to cut it? If I cut the wrong direction I’m doomed!
(I’m a little over dramatic)
So my friend Google and I teamed up and tackled mango once and for all.
First, you have to visualize the pit. Like so:
Then, look at the mango and figure out the way the pit is running. That means the shorter sides will each be the end of the pit, while the big, flat sides are the…well…big, flat sides of the pit.
Big and flat:
Take your knife, and slice it about 1/2 inch from the middle in the same direction the pit runs.
Now take each mango half, and carefully cut squares that go down to where the skin is (but not through the skin).
Bend the half so all of the squares pop up!
Then gently cut along the skin to remove it while keeping the most mango in tact that you can.
The hardest part is cutting whats left around the pit. Cut each of the edges first.
Then gently destroy trim whats left. Keep in mind that the mango right next to the pit is stringy, so you can leave that.
Ta da! Cubed mango.
The perfect summer treat. And went perfectly in my Miso, Mango Chicken Salad. Now I can handle a mango.