On one of my annual trips to sunny California to visit family I was served this salad the ‘killer’ ingredient is the almost raw mango – mouthwatering. It has a tangy, sharp and sweet flavour and goes really well with a Thai/Chinese meal or with a bbq, of course we can’t compete with the giant USA steaks they served it with, but it is so simple to make you will be pleasantly surprised!
It’s best to use a raw or almost ripe mango for this recipe, if it’s too soft you will not be able to cut it as required and it will be sweet rather than tangy. You can add or reduce the ingredients, e.g sometimes I add small baby tomatoes and cucumber and skip the nuts, like any salads the taste is all in the dressing!
Ingredients
- One large firm semi-ripe or raw Mango
- Cup of finely sliced spring onion
- 2oz finely sliced red onion
- Fistful of freshly sliced green coriander
- 10 leaves fresh basil roughly chopped
- 2 tbs dry roasted cashews/peanuts – optional
- 2 tbs toasted dessicated coconut – optional
- Cup of bean sprouts – optional
Dressing
- 4 tsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 4 tsp Sambal or fresh red chillies or chillie flakes
Method
- Cut the mango into Julienne strips, I use my mandolin slicer which produces the perfect result. If you do not have one, then you may want to try using a sharp knife, or the easier option is to grate the mango.
- Mix the ingredients of the dressing in a small bowl and keep aside for 10 minutes.
- Put the mango in a serving salad bowl, add all other salad ingredients (except beansprouts), mix well using a wooden spoon. Keep in the refrigerator until required.
- Remove from refrigerator, add the beansprouts if using and gently fold in once or twice, then add the dressing, mix with a wooden or plastic spoon until salad ingredients are coated with the dressing.
Serve within 10 minutes of mixing in dressing for a crunchy yummy salad. - Make it part of your bbq spread…..
