Mangoes are a deliciously sweet and juicy tropical fruit, popular around the world. They taste wonderful eaten alone or as part of a fruit salad. Their versatile flesh lends itself beautifully to a variety of sweet and sour dishes and popular drinks such as a lassi or smoothie.

Mangoes are quite high in calories with 60 calories per 3.5oz (100g) serving. They do however, have a very high vitamin A content and are rich in vitamin C.

If you’ve been put off buying mangoes because of the preparation involved, don’t worry. It’s really easy once you know how and takes only a matter of minutes.

When it comes to choosing your mango, make sure it’s ripe enough to eat. You can tell this by giving the mango a gentle squeeze. If it feels slightly soft, it should be ready. A mango that’s not ripe enough will be more difficult to prepare and not have reached its full, juicy potential.

•  Skin is usually green, smooth and tough; 
• Flesh is sweet, juicy and can be fibrous; 
• Should have a sweet aroma; 
• Has a high sugar content which is why it’s quite high in calories for a fruit with 60 cals per 3.5oz (100g) serving;
• High vitamin A and C. 

Step 1: 
Rinse your mango under cold water to wash away any lingering pesticides.

Step 2: 
Stand your mango upright on the chopping board with the pointed end at the top.

Step 3: 
Hold the mango firmly in one hand and, using the sharp knife, carefully slice down one of the wider sides of the mango. As the knife moves downwards you’ll feel the large stone inside. Cut closely following the edge of the stone until you’ve sliced right through the mango.

Step 4: 
Repeat with the opposite side so you are left with two halves of mango. The remaining stone will still have more flesh and skin attached but we’ll come back to that later.

Step 5: 
For mango slices: Pick up one of the sliced mango halves and hold it in your palm. Using the sharp knife, carefully make parallel cuts through the flesh from one side to the other along the entire length of the mango, making sure you don’t cut through the skin.

For mango cubes follow step 5a. Step 5a:
For mango cubes: After you’ve made the initial cuts along the mango flesh, you now make cuts in the opposite direction. Cut along the entire length of mango again until you have a grid like pattern.

Step 6: 
Once you’ve cut your mango, either into slices or cubes, hold the mango in one hand and with the other hand, push the green skin side upwards, forcing the mango slices or cubes to protrude outwards.



Step 7: 

Finally, take your knife and place it between the flesh and the skin. Now carefully slice along the length of the mango, keeping the knife close to the skin while allowing the slices or cubes to fall off into your desired container.

You’ll still have some mango flesh and skin left on the stone. To get the most from your mango, take your knife and cut down along the stone to remove the last two skin sections. Then just slice off the last but of flesh on the skin. Whatever’s left on the stone can be eaten or discarded.

Using a Mango Cutter 

If you have a mango cutter, you can use this instead to remove the stone. Simply stand the mango with its pointed side upright, as per step 2, and place the mango cutter over the top of the mango and push downwards. Keep pushing until you reach the bottom of the mango. You’re then left with the two mango halves and can proceed with cutting your mango from step 5.

Once your mango is cut, it’s ready to eat or to use in your recipe. They keep well in the fridge for a few days by storing in an airtight container.

What You Will Need 

• A ripe mango 
• A sharp knife 
• Chopping board 
• Bowl or container 
• Mango cutter (optional) 

Tips and Warnings 

Ensure the mango is properly ripened before cutting;
Don’t refrigerate until after preparation;
Handle carefully as mangoes bruise easily;
Watch out for bruised or overripe mangoes as their taste may be spoiled