For the filling:

• 4 cups ripe mangoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2/3 cup butter

Combine crust flour and sugar; cut in butter with pastry cutter or fork. Press into 9-by-13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a saucepan, combine mangoes, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water and lemon juice. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until mangoes are tender. In separate small container, whisk together cornstarch and the 3 tablespoons water. Stir into mango mixture and cook until thickened. Cool slightly. Pour over prepared crust.

Combine oats, 1/4 cup flour and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl; cut with 2/3 cup butter. Sprinkle over mango mixture. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and cut.

Makes 24 bars.

• Per serving (1 bar): 260 calories, 13 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 130 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 3 g protein.

Sam Choy devised this super-simple mixture — somewhere between a salsa and a sweet-sour sauce —for his "Polynesian Kitchen" cookbook (Hyperion, 2002). Serve over baked ham or roast pork chops — or even ice cream. Use lime juice if you like more of a tart-sweet taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Mango and Brown-Sugar Glaze

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup orange or lime juice*
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cups julienned fresh mango
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to blend.

Makes 4 servings.

• Per serving: 260 calories, 13 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 130 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 3 g protein.

If you're able to find half-ripe mangoes (they are sold in Chinatown and at farmer's markets — or maybe from a friendly neighbor), the thing to make is chutney, which you can use throughout the year. Blend chutney with softened butter for a quick glaze for roast or grilled meats or fish. Try adding some chutney to a simple vinaigrette salad dressing. A quick appetizer is sharp cheddar on a Triscuit with a dollop of chutney on top, broiled lightly.

This recipe is adapted from one in the 1970 edition of the "Hilo Women's Cookbook." To sterilize jars, first wash them well in hot, sudsy water and rinse; then place in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. To process, immerse the filled jars in boiling water for 10 minutes; remove jars and allow to cool on counter. Jar tops will make a distinctive clicking sound when they seal, and will not give if you press them with a finger. Unsealed jars can be stored in the refrigerator. It's safest to use only real canning jars, not recycled product jars.

Mango chutney

• 5 pounds half-ripe mangoes
• 5 pounds sugar
• 1 quart white vinegar
• 4 small, hot red peppers
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 1/4 pound garlic, peeled, minced
• 1/2 pound sultana raisins (golden raisins)
• 1/2 pound crystallized ginger
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves

Peel mangoes and slice 1/4 inch thick and 1 inch long. (You may freeze them at this point and prepare chutney at another time.)

Bring vinegar and sugar to a boil. Place raisins and ginger in blender or food processor and process briefly to mince. Add all ingredients to vinegar-sugar mixture and cook, simmering gently, until mango is transparent. Spoon solids into sterilized canning jars, removing cloves as you go. Pour syrup over to cover (you may have syrup left over; if so, use it on canned peaches, pears or apricots). Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes and seal jars. Unsealed jars may be stored in refrigerator for up to 3 months. Makes about 4 pints.

Serving size: 1 tablespoon.