Sweet yet tangy pickled mango is a delicious treat that’ll be sure to make your mouth water and have you coming back for more.
Summer time in Hawai’i brings an abundance of delicious mango. Mango just so happens to be my favorite fruit. The juicy, sweet, orange goodness is irresistible.
And a classic recipe to use unripened mango is PICKLED MANGO.
Is your mouth watering yet? If it is then you should totally make this.
Here’s what you need to make pickled mango:
- Water
- Rice vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Granulated sugar
- Hawaiian salt
- Li hing mui seeds
- Mangoes
If you’ve got yourself some extra mangoes definitely make some mango bread and mango salsa too.
First let’s talk mango.
Mangoes are stone fruit that are native to South Asia and ever so popular in Hawai’i. There are several hundred different types of mangoes and each vary slightly whether it be flavor, size, or color.
There are many different varieties of mangoes. Most common in Hawai’i are: Haden, Common, Rapoza, Pirie. My personal favorite is Haden.
As a nurse practitioner I do see quite a few mango allergies in the clinic. Most commonly the sap or leaves will cause contact dermatitis. Just keep an eye out for this if you’ve never handled mango before.
So what is pickled mango?
Pickled mango is a process of pickling mango is a vinegar, sugar, and salt mixture. Green mango is used in this recipe which gives you a nice crispy crunch.
And the next important part of the process is pickling.
Pickling is used to prolong the shelf life by immersing in vinegar or anaerobic fermentation in brine. The key to this is having a pH of less than 4.6 which will kill most bacteria.
Because we will be using a low pH (acidic) liquid it is important to use non-reactive cookware.
Non-reactive vs Reactive cookware?
When speaking of reactive and non-reactive we are talking about the material your cookware is made from.
Reactive material will react with the acidic liquid often causing a discoloration of the food and a metallic taste. These materials include: aluminum, cast iron, and copper.
Non-reactive material will not react and includes: enamel coated materials, stainless steel, glass, or ceramic.
Since this recipe uses an acidic liquid you want to be sure to use a non-reactive pot.
Now let’s talk li hing mui.
What is li hing mui?
Li hing mui is a sweet and salty dried plum that originated in China and has become a very popular flavor in Hawai’i.
Some li hing mui are more sweet and some are more on the salty side. This can be added to your pickled mango to bring out a pop of extra flavor.
Depending on the brand of li hing mui you may only need a few seeds or you may need more. Adjust the amount based on the brand of seeds you have and what flavor you like.
How to store pickled mango?
Pickled mango should be placed in non-reactive containers and stored in the refrigerator. I like to use mason jars.
How long does pickled mango last?
Pickled mango stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator can last a few weeks.
You want to try to get the flavor of the pickling liquid where you want it before placing the mango in to soak. Once it has soaked it is a little harder to adjust the flavors at that point.
How to make pickled mango?
Set a non-reactive pot over high heat and add water, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar and salt has dissolved.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
While your pickling mixture is cooling begin prepping the mangoes.
Peel mangoes and cut into slices. Place slices in a glass jar.
Add li hing mui seeds to each jar
Pour cooled pickling liquid to each jar to fill it about 3/4s full. Place in the refrigerator to chill overnight. ENJOY!
Pickled Mango
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup Hawaiian salt
- li hing mui seeds
- 2 pounds green mango
Instructions
- Set a non-reactive pot over high heat and add water, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar and salt has dissolved.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- While your pickling mixture is cooling begin prepping the mangoes.
- Peel mangoes and cut into slices. Place slices in a glass jar.
- Add li hing mui seeds to each jar
- Pour cooled pickling liquid to each jar to fill it about 3/4s full. Place in the refrigerator to chill overnight. ENJOY!
Nutrition
© Relle Lum for Keeping It Relle. Please do not copy and paste or screenshot recipes online or on social media. I’d love it if you share a link with a photo instead. Mahalo!
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Looks good. Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you.
I have never heard of pickled mangos but I love just anything pickled. Ths is a must try!
Yes, it’s totally something worth trying.
I love the idea of pickling mangoes! But I’ve never heard of li hing mui seed. I doubt I can find them here in Italy, although I may be able to order them on Amazon. If not, is there are substitute?
Hi Jacqueline. You can find it on Amazon if you ever want to try it. It’s really yummy!
http://www.linshawaiianmarket.com. Get the Sweet Red Li Hing Mui.
Sorry, it’s http://www.linsmarkethawaii.com
Thank you for sharing
Thank you for sharing
It’s mango season now and my brother Chinese mango tree has an abundant load. I would like to try your recipe (first time for me) so I would like to know how much mango (in cups?) does your recipe calls for.😋
Aloha Sarah, The pickling sauce will cover about 2 pounds of mangoes.
Hey Relle…
Love your recipes and videos! I just followed your recipe for Pickled Mango and it calls for 1/4 cup of Hawaiian salt, is that correct? It tastes okay, but not like I remember from my childhood.
Aloha Sel. Yes the recipe is correct. There are so many variations to this particular recipe. This is how I like to make mine. That’s the best thing about recipes, you can adjust them to you liking. If too salty add less, if too sweet adjust that too. Have a great day.
Hi Relle! I have some frozen green mangoes leftover from last mango season (my dad peeled and cut it for chutney, but I’m gonna steal some, shhhhh). Can I use them for pickled mango?
Aloha Summer. I’ve never tried them after being frozen. Worth a shot. Let me know how it goes. Mahalo.
Do I need to sterilize the mason jars ( by boiling in water) before I put the finished mangoes in them?
Depends how you plan to store it. If you are placing it the fridge and eating it within a few days no need. It would be the same as if you stored it in any other container. If you plan to seal it, then yes.