This has got to be my absolute favorite summer salad! The main flavor components are of course mango, spicy radish, green chili and lime – giving you a sweet-spicy-sour salad, that you are likely to eat in surprisingly large quantities!
Like with every salad, texture is an important aspect of the eating experience, and this one is chunky! Most ingredients are cut into bite-sized pieces (except for the radish and green onion), making it a fairly low effort dish overall. The radish and onion though, must be sliced really fine to ensure they give you a tiny hit of pungency, without being overpowering.
You can use any kind of mango for this recipe. Slightly sour ones work better. If too sour, add half a tsp of sugar to the salad dressing to help balance all the flavors. I used the Indian ‘Safeda’ aka ‘Banganapalli’ Mango this time.
I also use blanched, skinned almonds for the crunch factor. They are more mellow tasting compared to almonds with the skin on, and work really well with the sweet mango. However, feel free to use regular almonds instead. Lastly, while I prefer making this salad vegetarian, you can definitely add a protein to suit your preference. Proteins that work really well are: grilled shrimp/ prawns, sliced roasted chicken or shredded barbecued pork (mmmmm…!)
Mango Salad with Chili – Lime Dressing
Equipment
- No special equipment needed!
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1 cup Lettuce Leaves [torn into bite size pieces]
- 1 small Cucumber [slit in half, de-seeded and sliced 1/4th inch thick]
- 1 small Tomato [chopped into bite sized pieces]
- 1 small Green Bell Pepper / Capsicum [chopped into bite sized pieces]
- 1 small Spring Onion [sliced fine]
- 1 small Red Radish [sliced really fine!]
- 1 small Mango [chopped into bite sized chunks]
- 0.25 cup Coriander / Cilantro Leaves roughly chopped
- Blanched Almonds [slivered]
For the Dressing:
- 2 tsp Mango Pulp
- 2 tsp Lime Juice
- 4 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 small Green Chili [slit in half, de-seeded and finely chopped]
- Salt [to taste]
- Pepper [to taste]
Instructions
- Chop/ slice the ingredients as indicated in the instructions table.
- Add the lettuce1, cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, radish, spring onion, mango and coriander leaves to a large bowl and toss together2 (or just mix gently with a spatula).
- To make the dressing: Combine the mango pulp, lime juice, olive oil and chopped chili in a small bowl or jar; whisk together until it emulsifies. Add salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Whisk again.
- To assemble the salad3, pour the dressing over the veggies and toss. Lastly, top with slivered blanched4 almonds and serve.
Recipe Notes:
1Always tear lettuce and don’t use a knife or scissors to chop the leaves. Tearing breaks the leaves along its natural cell walls, while cutting ruptures the cells, leading to more browning along the edges.
2You can put the chopped veggies (coated with a tsp of olive oil) away into the refrigerator at this point. Allow it to chill for an hour or longer, if you are serving it later on in the day. The olive oil prevents the veggies from releasing too much moisture and helps retain their crunch.
3Add the dressing just before serving! If you let the salad sit in its dressing for too long, the salt from the dressing will draw out moisture from the veggies, ruining their crunch and leaving you with something soggy.
4To make blanched almonds: soak a few almonds in hot water for 15 mins or more. You should now be able to easily peel the skins off.
Here’s a quick play-by-play of assembling this salad. Let me know in the comments below if you need any further instructions or tried the recipe and have some feedback 🖖
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