It's mango season....and once a year, it hits me: One of the drawbacks to living in the Ala Moana area is that there is a high concentration of condos, and not so many homes with yards. Especially yards with mango trees. I eat it all--fresh mango, mango salsa, mango bread, mango pie, mango pancakes. When there's a lot of mangos to go around, you see a good amount of pickled mango, which is made while the fruits are still green.

A couple of months ago, a classmate brought over two tupperware containers filled with pickled mango. She and I used to work at Crack Seed Center Ala Moana, and nothing has tasted the same since. But she rushed over to see me, frantically claiming, "You gotta try this batch. It's brok da mout pickled mango!" It was even better than the stuff we used to sell. Since her friend's recipe will remain a secret, I'm forced to ration my intake of this addictive batch.

Meanwhile, chef Chai Chaowasaree shared his recipe for pickled mango with me. I haven't tried it yet, but it's from Chai, so it's gotta be good, right?

Chai’s Li Hing Mui Pickle Mango

Ingredients: 10 pieces large green mango
3 C. sugar
3 C. vinegar
3 C. water
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Li Hing Mui Powder
Preparation:

• Peel and cut mango from top to bottom into large pieces, around 4 to 8 pieces (depending on how large the mango). Make sure to remove the seed, Put in a jar and set aside.
• In a pot add sugar, vinegar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes to burn alcohol from vinegar. It will make your pickle mango taste smooth, not sharp acidity. Let it cool down to warm. Add Li Hing Mui powder, stir and pour over the mango. Let it sit in the refrigerator for a few days.
• Remove mango from the liquid. More Li Hing Mui powder, sugar or salt may be added to taste.

Tips:
~ The mango should be green, not ripe, as ripe mango will get soggy. Also sour mango tastes better with this style of cooking.
~ Taste the green mango before you pickle and change amount of vinegar and sugar upon the taste of mango.
~ Chili flakes can be added with this recipe if you like spicy.
~ Sometimes yellow or red food coloring can be added for presentation.