Making the Famous Pickled Mangoes

18 Aug Making the Famous Pickled Mangoes

You cannot leave Hawaii without trying our pickled mangoes here at least once. The family recipes you can find throughout Oahu, Honolulu, and the other islands all provide a spicy, tangy flavor that is surprisingly addictive.

One of the best ways to enjoy this treat is to attend a traditional luau. If that is not possible because of your itinerary, you can always make a batch at your Airbnb. Here is a recipe for you to try during your stay!

Ingredients for Pickled Mangoes

You will need to collect the following ingredients for this pickled mango recipe at a local grocer. The Time Supermarket is just down the street. Follow 16^th to Harding, take a left, and then turn left again on 21^st. You’ll go by Wai’alae Elementary and Petrie Community Park before needing to make the second turn.

• 2 unripe mangoes
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons Hawaiian salt
• 1.5 cups water
• 1/2-cup white vinegar
• 6 dried hibiscus flowers

You can infuse the rosy color of the pickled mangoes with red food coloring. Still, the flavor profile can feel artificial if you take that approach. The hibiscus flowers provide the same result and a more traditional outcome.

Instructions for Making Pickled Mangoes

1. Start by peeling the mangoes with a paring knife. Once the skin is gone, cut the fruit in half using a lengthwise technique. Go through the seed with the blade while taking this step.

2. Remove the kernel or core of the seed so that the fruit remains attached to the outer shell.

3. Cut the fruit into one-inch slices, placing them into a glass bowl, Mason jar, or glazed container immediately. Continue following these steps until you have successfully cut both mangoes to the desired size.

4. Prepare the pickling brine for the fruit by combining the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, and hibiscus flowers in a saucepan. Bring the fluid to a boil using high heat.

5. Stir the pickling brine frequently to help the salt and sugar dissolve into the fluid appropriately.

6. Once you reach a rolling boil, take the saucepan off of the heat. Allow the fluid to cool until it reaches room temperature.

7. Pour the pickling brine over the mango slices. You should have enough fluid to cover all of the fruit.

8. Cover the jar, container, or bowl and refrigerate. Some recipes let you enjoy your pickled mangoes after 24 hours of curing, although the best results from this effort take 72 to 96 hours. Turn the pickles occasionally in the brine to ensure all of them steep evenly.

Once the pickled mangoes are cure appropriately, they can keep in your refrigerator for up to three months. Leaving the outer shell of the seed adds some interesting texture. At the same time, you avoid some of the spicy bites from pan-Asian recipes that float around the islands.

If you don’t like the pickled mangoes’ rosy color, you can leave the hibiscus flowers out of this recipe.