Green Mango Salad

Got green mango? Make this salad! Vietnamese version of this Thai staple has won my heart by its simplicity and bright taste, flavor and, of course, color!

Blog's Category: Awesome Findings, International, Vegetarian

 

Intro

At a store, I usually look for the brightest, ripest and juiciest mango possible as my Danny and myself are huge aficionado of this tropical fruit. But lately I could be caught on hunting for the greenest mango possible. Why? Just because I'm into my new interest - green mango salad.

I have already made my "rehearsal" recipe of green mango salad with bean sprouts, roasted coconut and peanuts. It come out delicious although a bit too fruity to my taste, must be because my mangoes were not that green after all.

So, understandably, when I spotted deep greed and hard as rock mangoes on shelves of my local grocery, I have plunged into my second take on a Green Mango Salad. This time I took simple and straightforward approach, exactly the way I like - "effort-ness-less-ly".

I served it yesterday for extended family dinner - everybody loved it. My dear father in-law said "wow", even my food-conservative husband silenced it (believe me, silence in this case is the equivalent to mini-wow in regard to my cookery experimentations).


What is it?

This salad is mostly the mango, sliced thinly into long strips. Greens, fresh cilantro and mint leaves, lime or lemon-based dressing, sesame oil and sesame seeds finish up the salad. Almost forgot - fresh red chili pepper - the must ingredient here!

Taste Description

- Bold flavors of cilantro, mint and both, sesame oil and sesame seeds, bring natural taste of mango to the new definition as a great salad ingredient from the fruit family.

- Soft sweetness of under-ripe mango, with its light sourness, merges innately into lemon juice acidity. It creates strong sweet-and-sour (mostly sour!) taste that surprisingly does not offend you much but rather makes you wonder how come you like this sour salad so much.

- Bright red specks of fresh chili pepper, you mix in to your taste, and fresh ginger will give you that nice heat that adds so much sophistication and fun to the salad.

- Personally, I especially enjoyed notes of mint here... and chili pepper..  and sesame seeds..

How to Serve

Serve as side salad. It can be used in sandwiches and burgers to add some complex flavors to the plain food. I took it for lunch next day - it was still very good.

Green Mango Salad

 

• 1" ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1/3 (or to taste) fresh red chili pepper, seeds removed, chopped finely
• 1 tsp salt
• juice from about 1.5 lemons (or limes)
• 1 tbs roasted sesame oil
• 10 mint leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 green mangoes, peeled and sliced into thin strips
• 5-7 tbs of sesame seeds, toasted
• 0.5 c fresh cilantro, chopped

- Make dressing by mixing the first 6 ingredients.

- In a large bowl, combine sliced mango, mint, cilantro, dressing and half of the sesame seeds.

- Serve generously sprinkled with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

 

Notes

- For this salad, try to find the greenest and hardest mango possible.
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IN PICTURES

 

 

 

I was so excited about these green mangoes that I forgot to wash them.. Though I peeled them anyway... well, let's train our immune system ;)

I tried to cut off that flesh around the pit nicely..

My favorite way to juice up lemons. Minimal waste - maximum output (just push those pesky seeds on the edge of a plate).

Don't pass on mint - it's awesome in this salad.

 

..dressing is done..

..assembling..

 

 

..looking good in the individual dishes..