By Request

By Catherine Kekoa Enomoto

Wednesday, May 21, 1997

ByDennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Crispy sweet-tart pickles, in the goblet, and fresh slices
are two ways to enjoy mangoes.

Savor the Mango

ADELE Santana of Moanalua asked for a recipe for Moki Mangoes.

"It was an elegant recipe calling for one gallon of mangoes, vinegar, sugar and salt," she said. "It was a sweet-tarty thing, from a very old recipe published years ago."

Recipes follow for this year's mango crop - including the pickled formula, courtesy of the late Moses "Moki" Ka'ana'ana Kawaha. The Star-Bulletin printed the former Halekulani chef's recipe 26 years ago this week.

P.S. Does anyone have a recipe for shredded mango?

Moki's Pickled Mangoes

16 cups (1 gallon) sliced, young green
Chinese or common mangoes
6 cups water
4 cups raw brown sugar
2 cups white vinegar
3/4 cup Hawaiian sea salt
2 tablespoons red food coloring

Peel mangoes and cut in half through seed. Discard kernel, but leave outer shell attached to fruit. ("This gives a crunchy texture to the pickled mangoes that's wonderful," according to Kawaha.)

Cut fruit into bite-size pieces, leaving a little shell on each piece, if possible.

Bring water, sugar, vinegar, salt and food coloring to a boil. Cook until sugar has dissolved completely. Cool.

Pack fruit firmly into sterilized jars. Pour cooled syrup over, covering fruit completely. Seal jars well and refrigerate upside down. Turn jars over daily for 3 days. Keep refrigerated.

Approximate nutritional analysis per 2-tablespoon serving: 35 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 650 milligrams sodium.*

Green Mango Chutney

(From "The Caribbean Pantry Cookbook"
by Steven Raichlen, Artisan, 1995, $25)

2 pounds green or semi-ripe mangoes (2 to 3 large mangoes), peeled
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups brown sugar, or to taste
1 cup dried currants or raisins
1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup white rum
Juice and grated zest of 1 orange (about 1/2 cup juice, 1/2 teaspoon zest)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 to 1 Scotch bonnet chile pepper, seeded and minced
(for a hotter chutney leave seeds in)
3/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Spice bundle:
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches long
5 black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
2 cardamom pods

Tie spice bundle ingredients in cheesecloth. Or wrap them in foil and perforate the resulting bundle with a fork.

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine all ingredients except the cilantro. Cook over medium heat, loosely covered, 30 minutes or until the mango is soft but not mushy and the mixture is thick and richly flavored.

Stir in cilantro the last 2 minutes. Discard spice bundle.

Taste the chutney for seasoning, adding more sugar or vinegar as necessary or even a splash of rum. The chutney should be a little sweet and a little sour.

Transfer the mixture to sterile jars (two 1-pint jars or four 1-cup jars), filling each to within 1/8-inch of the top. Tightly seal jars with covered lids. Invert the jars for 10 minutes, then reinvert.

Unopened, the chutney keeps several months at room temperature. Refrigerate any opened chutney up to several weeks. Makes about 2 pints.

Approximate nutritional analysis per 2-tablespoon serving: 50 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 5 milligrams sodium.*