Thai Green Mango Salad

You know, I love mangoes. It's my favorite fruit. Eh, wait. Or is that durians? Or bananas? Hmmm... quite hard to choose. Let's say for now, it is mangoes. 

I love eating mangoes as they are, just peel, slice and eat. And of course, I love them in rojak and also in kerabu. And don't forget pickled mangoes and Mango Chutney. There is also mango curry which I had many years ago and it was delicious. 

I guess there are many things you can do with mango and I should explore more recipes. Right now, I am making a mango salad/kerabu which is slightly different from what I have attempted before. This Thai Green Mango Salad contains a few ingredients which I have not used in a kerabu before - fried shallots, fried garlic and minced pork. It involves a little bit more work but as I discovered, it was well worth the effort.

You start by making fried shallots, garlic, dried shrimps and chilies. Remember, make more than enough for added flavor and enjoyment. This I learnt after eating the salad. Though it was good, it could use more of these ingredients.

This salad also incorporates some protein in the form of minced pork. After you complete making the above four components, you cook the minced meat (in the same oil, so flavorful!) and season it with fish sauce.

While the meat is set aside to cool, that's when you work on the glorious mangoes.

The mangoes are peeled and grated.

Then you toss the grated mangoes, fried shallots, garlic, dried shrimps, chilies and fried minced pork. For added fragrance and flavor, add thinly sliced raw shallots, fresh coriander and basil leaves. And for some crunch, scatter the salad with crushed peanuts.

If you are wondering why I have not added any lime juice, that's because the unripe mangoes are already very tart. I have added some plum sauce (instead of sugar) for some sweetness. I also had to adjust the flavor by adding more fish sauce. Of course if you want some freshness from lime, by all means, squeeze a lime or two into the salad and balance out the sourness with sugar or plum sauce.

The salad I made is good for two portions. It's good as a main meal by itself since it has proteins and vegetables. As I sat down to enjoy this salad, which was excellent by the way, I just kept on eating. I kept taking some from the portion I set aside.

Before I knew it, I finished both portions. It was that good. This is one salad that I will make again in spite of the extra work involved. Well, that made for a very good and filling lunch. An overindulgence that I shall not feel guilty about!

Thai Green Mango Salad

Recipe source : Adapted from Spicy Salads (page 36)

Ingredients :

- 150g minced meat

- 7 shallots, thinly sliced (for frying)

- 5 shallots, thinly sliced (left raw)

- 2 tablespoons dried shrimps, soaked and drained.

- 7 cloves garlic, sliced

- 2 red chillies, sliced

- 2 unripe mangoes, grated

- Coriander leaves, torn

- Basil leaves, torn

- 1 tablespoon plum sauce or to taste

- 2 tablespoons fish sauce or to taste

- Some crushed peanuts and extra for sprinkling

- Oil for frying

Method :

1. Heat oil in wok and fry shallots until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

2. Then fry the garlic until brown and crispy. Remove and set aside.

3. Fry the dried shrimps until fragrant and crispy. Remove and set aside.

4. The fry chilies briefly until it is wilted. Remove and set aside.

5. Then add the minced meat and fish sauce. Fry until meat is cooked. Remove and set aside to cool.

6. To make the salad, toss the grated mangoes with the fried shallots, garlic, dried shrimps, chilies, raw sliced shallots, peanuts, coriander and basil leaves. Add plum sauce and adjust for seasoning.

7. Pile salad on a serving platter and sprinkle with extra crushed peanuts.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up (November 2015 Event : Mango) organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Jozelyn of Spice Up My Kitchen.