Sean’s favorite summer lunch: Thai mango salad with chicken and shrimp
Starting from the bottom left going clockwise: fresh basil, mint, dry red chillies, bell pepper, mango, red onion, fresh lime, salted peanuts, with finished salad and cilantro on the bottom right.
Once summer hits, we always look forward to making our Thai mango salad with chicken and shrimp. It’s Sean’s favorite summer lunch — thin slices of raw mango, red bell pepper, red onion, mint, basil, and cilantro are tossed with a bit of sauteed ground chicken, shrimp, and crushed red chilli flakes, then topped with salted peanuts and a Thai chilli-lime dressing. It’s a medley of cold, sweet, and sharp flavors combined with something hot and spicy right off the pan, with hints of spicy, tangy, and salty goodness. The model of Thai flavors. This salad is refreshing and healthy and easy to prep and take for lunch at the office, which Sean does often. It serves 2 as a large dinner salad OR it makes for an appetizer for 4 people if you feel like having a Thai dinner party.
Thai Mango Salad with Chicken and Shrimp
Serves 4 as an appetizer OR 2 for dinner
Ingredients
The Cold:
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
- 1 fresh whole mango, equal in size to bell pepper, peeled and julienned
- 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced in rings
- Handful of fresh basil, very thinly sliced
- Handful of fresh mint leaves, very thinly sliced
- Handful of fresh cilantro, very thinly sliced
- Handful of salted, roasted peanuts, crushed (in a mortar and pestle)
The Hot:
- 1 tablespoon, canola oil
- 1/4 pound ground chicken
- 5-6 large raw shrimp, deveined and peeled, with tails removed
- 1/2 teaspoon dry red chilli flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
The Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 2 fresh limes, juiced
- 4 teaspoons sugar (you can also use half the amount of Splenda)
- 1-2 teaspoons of hot chilli sauce (sriracha)
Preparation
- Prepare all ‘cold’ ingredients and put into a large glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.
- Prepare the ‘hot’ ingredients by coarsely chopping the raw shrimp. In a non-stick frying pan heat oil with red chilli flakes. Once the flakes begin to dance, add the ground chicken and shrimp and sautee quickly, add salt. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. You know it’s cooked through when the shrimp has transformed from grey-black to pink and the ground chicken looks dry. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisking until blended.
- Take out the large glass bowl from the fridge, and add the contents of your frying pan and mix well. Add the dressing, and gently mix to combine. Add the salted peanuts.
- Plate each salad, adding a few salted peanuts to each person’s plate to finish.
