How to Peel and Slice Fresh Mango, The Thai Way.

Thailand is home to numerous varieties of mango. Called mamuang in Thai, the varieties include Oak Rong ("chest crack"), Nam Dokmai ("flower water"), Fah-Lahn ("thunder mango" which makes a loud crack when you first peel the skin), Keo Sawoy ("green delicious"), and many others. Here we offer a feature on how you can peel and slice a mango in the typical Thai way.

This isn't the only way to prepare a mango, you can often see street vendors in Thailand whacking a peeled mango with a cleaver while slowly spinning it. These are the hard, unripened sour mangoes, such as mamuang radt ("rhinocerous mango").

In Thailand you'll always find plenty of street vendors selling mangoes such as this hawker who converted a bicycle into a fresh fruit showcase. One of our favorite shops in Thailand is Kor Panich offering sticky with with mango. Also: see our recipe for Thai sticky rice with mango.

Use the pictures below as a guide and follow carefully. There is a large seed in the center. When you slice the mango try to get just to the side of the seed. after the seed is separated from the two larger pieces, you can also get a small slice from the front and rear of the seed. Enjoy!

We also have a feature on how to peel and slice fresh pineapple.

Fresh mango		Remove stem end
Use a peeler to remove the skin		Set upright, on flattened base, with end pointed away, just as shown, slice down right of center
Slice again, left of center. Discard hard seed (above, seed is at left)		Serve on dish with sticky rice and sweet cream topping
Thai mango peeler. The best tool for mango lovers. Made in Thailand, Barbarian Head brand, of tough plastic and longlasting stainless steel. There is a lower blade and a shaped upper guide connected to the blade. Total length is 9". The handle is a smart orange color. The stainless steel blade is sharp, and stays sharp for years. The opening (cutting length) is 3 inches long. Thai mango peeler $10.95
Kiwi brand stainless steel pointed knife. The knife is great for all kinds of fruit preparation, identical to what you find used throughout Thailand. At under $9 it's a terrific bargain. This knife has a slightly rounded blade and a nice pointed end. The pointed end helps get meat cut from around bones. A nice long blade that's relatively light yet very sharp, it's called a "meat knife" but you can use it to hack just about anything. Total length is 11", the blade is 6.5". Feels really nice in your hand, and what a great price. Hardwood handle with brass rivets. Made in Thailand and stamped with Kiwi Brand Made in Thailand. Knife $8.65