It was in a night market when I first came across the possibility of transforming a mango into a flower. With some knife-wielding skills, vendors can complete a mango-rose within minutes. The impressive craftily slit mango is something people are always willing to pay extra on, compared to the original price of a mango. So why not learn to make your own DIY mango bouquets and impress yourself, or someone special?
Then I discovered, mango carving is no new art. It's a street vendor specialty, and you can watch vendors complete them on Youtube — rotating a mango quickly on a stick, swift and accurate cuts of a very sharp knife into the mango, and then a super easy-to-eat crafted mango.
At home, I wouldn't even try the mastered spin-and-cut method of transforming a mango into a flower. Instead, I learned from a another Youtube video a more beginner-friendly way to make this must-try treat. This will become a whole new way on how you'll usually cut a mango.
1. Preparing the Mango
Cut off the base of the mango (the end where the stem would be) into a flat surface so that your mango can stand upright. Be sure to keep the base for later on.
#SpoonTip: Instead of carving the skin off the mango, I used a vegetable peeler to peel off the skin. It is also possible to peel a mango by hand.
2. Carving The Petals
Carve the petals from the outside, inwards. Go one by one, slitting the outer petals first. Make sure your outer petals are larger than the center petals as you want to work away from the core. Do this until you have to slit the last stem in the center of the mango into the smallest segments.
3. Opening The Flower
In my opinion, this step is optional. Street vendors usually fan out the petals with the cuts by pushing the petals outwards. But to reduce the knife-skills required, you can be assured that you'll definitely have a fanned out mango-flower with this step.
Take the base you previously cut off the mango and remove the skin. Cut it into enough blocks to slot between your slits for the petals and the rest of the mango.
4. Giving The Mango a Stem
Optional, but I wanted a stemmed mango flower like those of the night market so I inserted a wooden kebab stick into the bottom of the mango. My mango was a bit big for the tiny stick, so I would recommend finding an appropriately sized stick according to the size of your mango.
The Final Product
As a person who loves crafts and especially mangoes, mango-flowers are beautiful and a really creative way to transform the fruit. Not commonly done either, it is a skill that will impress others. Mango lovers are crazy about their mangoes, so maybe instead of flowers, you can carve up a DIY mango bouquet of edible and beautiful flowers for someone.