This fresh-tasting Spicy Thai Mango Salad features unripe green mango, crisp bean sprouts, crunchy carrots, and sweet red peppers. The tangy, spicy, umami and sweet Thai dressing adds an extra kick to this colorful salad. It is an excellent accompaniment to many grilled seafood, chicken, and meat dishes but especially to Thai Fish Cakes - Tod Mun Pla and Crispy Duck Spring Rolls.
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This Thai Mango Salad is the perfect balance of flavors, between the sour mango slices, the crispy carrot, the crunchy red pepper, and the spicy dressing made with authentic Thai flavors. It is very easy to make and is ready in just 15 minutes. You can serve it as an appetizer, as a side dish, or even as a main meal when topped with some BBQ Garlic Butter Prawns.
Why This Recipe Works
- It is an excellent side dish to serve with many Asian recipes such as Baked Chicken Wings, Salt and Pepper Chicken, and Spicy Egg Fried Rice.
- You can customize the spiciness, sweetness, or tanginess of this salad to your liking by adjusting the amount of the ingredients to your taste.
- It only takes 15 minutes to prepare this vibrant and delightful Mango Salad.
How to Pick The Right Mango?
Green mangoes are unripe mangoes with a sour taste to them. They are great for salads as they add a slight sourness.
When buying a mango for salad, give them a quick squeeze and pick the ones that feel firm. The key is that the mangoes should be firm when sliced.
How to Julienne a Mango for Salad?
Use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to peel each section of mango. Lay it on its side and cut the tail end off. Thinly slice it using a mandolin slicer until you get to the stone of the mango, and then cut the thin slices into julienne. Repeat the same for the other side of the mango. If there's still flesh on the stone, slice it off with a pairing knife, then discard the stone.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Thai Salad Dressing
- Red chili - I use 1 small chili with medium heat for the dressing but you can adjust the amount to your taste.
- Ginger - Use fresh root ginger for this recipe, not dry or powdered! They are widely available in supermarkets or Asian stores.
- Thai fish sauce - It is called "Nam Pla" in Thailand and is used for flavoring in Thai cooking as well as a condiment for serving at the table. You can substitute it with soy sauce for this recipe. They are widely available in Asian shops or large supermarkets as well as online at Amazon.
- Lime - It adds acidity and tanginess to this Thai Salad as well as a bright flavor. You can substitute it with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
- Palm Sugar - It gives sweetness to the sauce. Adjust the amount to your taste. You can substitute it with brown sugar.
Ingredients for Thai Mango Salad
- Mango - Test the firmness of the mangoes when you buy them by lightly squeezing them. Buy the ones that feel firm to use in your Mango Salad.
- Vegetables - I use the freshest vegetables I can find when I am making a salad. I prefer carrots, red peppers, bean sprouts, red onions, and gem lettuce for this colorful and vibrant salad. Other vegetables you can use are cucumbers, spring onions, shallots, and cabbage.
How to Make Thai Mango Salad?
Making Thai Mango Salad is extremely easy with a few simple steps and tips to follow:
Prepare the Thai Dressing
Place all the dressing ingredients apart from the coriander/cilantro in a bowl of your food processor and blitz until combined.
Taste the dressing, adjust the seasonings according to your taste, and add the coriander/cilantro.
Blitz again using the pulse function for a few seconds until the coriander is finely chopped but not turned into a green mess.
Transfer the sauce into a bowl and proceed to prepare the mango and vegetables for the salad.
Prepare the Thai Mango Salad
Peel the mango and cut it into julienne, or dice it if you find it easier.
Prepare the rest of the vegetables, wash and dry the peppers, and cut them into strips. Peel the red onion and finely slice it. Wash, peel, and julienne the carrot using a Thai peeler or a sharp knife. Wash, dry using a salad spinner, and slice the gem lettuce.
Place all your vegetables in a large salad bowl and gently toss together until all combined.
Drizzle the sauce on top and serve immediately. Alternatively, you can serve the sauce on the side without mixing it with the vegetables.
This Thai Mango Salad recipe yields 2 large salads or 4 side salads.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full, printable recipe!
Top Tips From The Chef
- As with any fresh salad, use the best and freshest ingredients you can possibly get.
- Blitz the coriander/cilantro at the very end, just briefly until it is finely chopped to avoid green and messy-looking salad dressing.
- Taste and adjust the final flavor of your dressing to your liking by adding extra sugar, lime juice, or fish sauce.
- Add the salad dressing just before serving your salad, at the very last minute, to keep the freshness of the vegetables.
Serving Suggestions
This Spicy Thai Mango Salad is versatile and goes perfectly with many dishes such as: Thai Fish Cakes - Tod Mun Pla, Baked Sea Bass in Foil - Firinda Levrek, BBQ Garlic Butter Prawns, Calamari Fritti - Fried Calamari, Sticky and Spicy Baked Chicken Wings, and Salt and Pepper Chicken.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, it is very common to use green papaya for salads in Thailand. If you can get hold of green papayas, make sure to pick the firm ones to add some crunch to your salad.
You can store the vegetables and the dressing separately in airtight containers. The vegetables would keep fresh for up to 48 hours. You can keep the dressing for up to 10 days!
One portion of this vibrant and delicious salad has only 93 kcal!
Related Recipes
For more delicious Asian-inspired recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this vibrant and refreshing Spicy Thai Mango Salad as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Spicy Thai Mango Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Spicy Thai Dressing
- 15 g fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 red chili
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 50 ml lime juice
- 20 g palm sugar
- ¼ bunch coriander/cilantro
For Thai Mango Salad
- 1 green mango
- 100 g carrot
- 80 g bean sprouts
- 40 g red onion
- 70 g red pepper
- 4-5 leaves gem lettuce
Instructions
Preparing the Thai Dressing
- Place all the dressing ingredients apart from the coriander/cilantro in a bowl of your food processor and blitz until combined.
- Taste the dressing, adjust the seasonings according to your taste, and add the coriander/cilantro.
- Blitz again using the pulse function for a few seconds until the coriander is finely chopped but not turned into a green mess.
- Transfer the sauce into a bowl and proceed to prepare the mango and vegetables for the salad.
Preparing the Thai Mango Salad
- Peel the mango and cut it into julienne, or dice it if you find it easier.
- Prepare the rest of the vegetables, wash and dry the peppers, and cut them into strips.
- Peel the red onion and finely slice it.
- Wash, peel, and julienne the carrot using a Thai peeler or a sharp knife.
- Wash, dry using a salad spinner, and slice the gem lettuce.
- Place all your vegetables in a large salad bowl and gently toss together until all combined.
- Drizzle the sauce on top and serve immediately. Alternatively, you can serve the sauce on the side without mixing it with the vegetables.
Notes
- As with any fresh salad, use the best and freshest ingredients you can possibly get.
- Blitz the coriander/cilantro at the very end, just briefly until it is finely chopped to avoid green and messy-looking salad dressing.
- Taste and adjust the final flavor of your dressing to your liking by adding extra sugar, lime juice, or fish sauce.
- Add the salad dressing just before serving your salad, at the very last minute, to keep the freshness of the vegetables.
- Store the vegetables and the dressing separately in airtight containers. The vegetables would keep fresh for up to 48 hours. You can keep the dressing for up to 10 days!
Nutrition
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Jenny
That was a delicious, spicy and pretty looking salad. I will definitely be making it again!