Thai-licious Mango Papaya Salad

One of my favorite salads to make, especially during mango season, is Thai mango salad. But despite the abundance of ripe mangos available in both Florida and Hawaii, in order to make this salad, you need unripe green mangos. Which is pretty perfect because that means you can pretty much have this salad year round where I live. And also, pretty likely you can get it where you live too as mangos are usually available in most grocery stores or at Costco and they are almost always under ripe.

In Hawaii, mangos practically grow wild and you can find them in abundance at the farmer's markets or at the grocery stores or if you are lucky enough like I am, in your yard. I love these big beautiful trees and there is something pretty magical about picking mangos, hanging like gorgeous jewels, whether ripe or unripe.

I've been to Thailand and had this recipe numerous times at various restaurants as well and what I know is that it can be made a number of ways. My recipe is pretty simple and that makes it a perfect vessel for suiting it to your own tastes. Feel free to make it your own by adjusting the dressing or adding some of your favorite ingredients.

It should also be noted that this salad is also extremely popular when made with green papaya, which I often do as well, having a papaya tree in the backyard. Part of the fun living in the tropics is being able to use fruit and produce you grow yourself. Nothing is more rewarding than that except for maybe seeing your bulldog trying to get a bite of your collard greens when no one is looking.

Ingredients:

• Green mango or papaya, peeled and grated (or julienned) with a mango grater or cheese grater
• Red or green jalapeno or Thai chili, diced, to taste
• Red cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• Red onion, sliced thin
• Cilantro
• Fish sauce
• Fresh limes
• Palm sugar, grated
• Korean or Thai chili powder (I prefer Korean, used in Kimchi because it is milder with a great flavor)
• Peanuts, crushed, as a garnish, also optional

Make the dressing:

1. I don't provide measurements because it is as easy as this: equal parts of fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar and chili powder. Make as little or as much as you like. 
2. Make the dressing and set aside.

If you don't have palm sugar, use castor sugar or whatever you have on hand. Palm sugar is easy to find at any Asian grocery store and will keep indefinitely in your pantry if sealed in a ziplock bag or airtight container. It is similar to light brown sugar but has a lovely flavor and is usually sold in little pucks which you just grate with a cheese or microplane grater.

The beauty of this salad is the fresh ingredients and super simple dressing you can make ahead of time. I usually make a large batch and then use what I need as it will keep in the fridge for a good long while. I don't know how long because we always eat it all pretty quick. Dress the salad just before serving or within an hour. This keeps the mango or papaya crunchy, which is the right texture, although if you have leftovers, it will keep for a day or two before starting to go a bit limp. Doesn't really matter in our house since it never seems to get that far before it is devoured.

Make the salad:

1. Grate the papaya or mango using a mango grater, which really just creates matchsticks or julienned slices.
2. Slice your onion into similar, thin slices.
3. Cut your cherry tomatoes in half.
4. Chop cilantro, to taste.
5. Chop, dice or slice your chili pepper, whichever ones you prefer.
6. Mix all sliced salad fixings in a bowl, then dress with the dressing you made previously, tossing to coat evenly.

As I mentioned before you can make the dressing ahead or go ahead and dress the salad before serving and refrigerate if you like a crisp, cold salad.

Optional ideas:

We often have this salad with grilled shrimp or octopus, which we love. I will also eat this with leftover baked salmon or tuna, which I also enjoy and usually have on hand. But really, I can eat this salad all on its own as it has the perfect balance of sweet, salty, sour, spicy that I absolutely love.

Thai salads can also be served with a platter of optional add-on ingredients so that everyone can "dress" their salad themselves. This is a fun way to serve it if entertaining or for family Thai night.

Here is what we do:

• Crushed peanuts
• Toasted coconut
• Lime wedges
• Chopped thai chilis in fish sauce (nam pla)
• Finely shredded carrots
• Finely shredded cabbage
• Julienned green onions
• Thinly sliced red onion
• Dried baby shrimp
• Finely julienned Hawaiian or Tahitian ginger (grows in our yard, but any fresh ginger will do)
• Chopped cilantro
• Chopped mint
• Extra Korean or Thai chili powder
• Grilled seafood
• Fresh bean sprouts

This salad is all about flavor and what speaks to you. By providing a serving platter with lots of options, it encourages everyone to make their own dish to their tastes and I think that's a lot of fun when trying to feed a lot of people. When doing it this way, it simplifies the dish and all you need to do is make the basic mango or papaya salad tossed with the dressing and allow your family or guests to finish the dish their way. Fancy, but super simple and yummy.