You can either have mangoes in fresh form or dried and canned forms
. Mangoes are relished in the hot summer months in countries such as India and they are also packaged and exported to several countries in Europe. The dried form must be rehydrated in warm water for 4 hours before using it in a recipe. There are many different varieties of mangoes available. Alphonso is called the king of mangoes. It measures about 4 inches in length and weighs around 2 pounds. The mango season in India ranges between March and May. These 3 months are the best time to relish mangoes.
Varieties of mangoes have colors that range from orange to yellow. Some varieties have a tinge of red too. In the market you should go for mangoes that are soft to touch. There should be no blemishes or dark spots. Use your nose to smell the mango. A ripe mango will emit a sweet fragrance. You can store the ripe mangoes in a plastic bag and then put the bag in the refrigerator for 3 days.
In case the mangoes are still not ripe then you can place them in a brown paper bag for a few days. The mangoes will gradually ripen and then will emit a wonderful flavor. Countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and India make use of raw, green mangoes as well. Green mangoes make for a delicious (yet small) snack and they are also used in salads and pickles. A popular seasoning in these parts is mango powder which is made by drying green mangoes.
Mangoes can stay fresh for long if you freeze them. Sprinkle a little bit of sugar on the shopped or peeled mango. Stir till the sugar dissolves with the fruit juices. Seal the fruit in an air tight container leaving about inch space at the top. The fruit can also be stored in plastic bags after the air is squeezed out from them.
Fresh mangoes can also be used as sweet sauce. Here you need to mix the slices with 30 percent syrup. The make this syrup you need to take 4 cups of hot water and then mix with sugar. You can then chill the syrup with mango juice. Store the mixture in plastic containers with inch space at the top.