Two Kooks » All Recipes » Salad Recipes » Simple Thai Mango Salad (10 Minutes)
ByCheryl Avrich Updated on
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Prepare for an explosion of fresh flavors and textures with this simple Thai mango salad recipe. Silky ripe mango, crisp bean sprouts, green onions and peppers in a sweet, spicy, tangy, umami dressing.
I love that it only takes 10 minutes to make and the few ingredients are easily found in most grocery stores.
Mangos are low in calories and fat, high in vitamins and antioxidants. And they are super versatile. I use them in salads, salsas, toppings, dressings and sides.
There are several substitutions or variations you can try with this mango salad recipe if you don’t like or have one of the ingredients on hand.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Don’t be afraid to use this Asian salad recipe as a guideline and play around until you get the combination and tastes you like.
Mangos: For this recipe, you can use ripe mangos (my preference) or unripe mangos (more traditional in Thai food). My favorites are golden yellow Ataulfo mangos from Mexico. Ripe mangos are slightly soft to the touch and sweet smelling at the stem.
Dressing: sweet chili sauce, lime juice plus zest, fresh ginger, garlic, fish sauce
Salad: green onion, bell red pepper, fresh bean sprouts, fresh cilantro
Substitutes
- Mangos: If you can’t find fresh mangos, you can use frozen mango chunks, thawed. Find them in the freezer section of your grocery store.
- Sweet chili sauce – instead, use honey (or maple syrup), red pepper flakes, garlic, and a touch of vinegar and soy sauce.
- Bean sprouts: Instead, use seeded chopped cucumber or canned water chestnuts for crunch.
- Cilantro – substitute parsley or basil
- Fish sauce: If you don’t like it or don’t have any, use light soy sauce instead (or just leave it out).
Add-ins
- Add chopped other fresh herbs like fresh mint or Thai basil
- Sprinkle on toasted unsweetened coconut, toasted cashews or crushed, crunchy peanuts.
- To make a more substantial dish, add diced tofu, chicken or shrimp.
Step by step instructions
What to serve with mango salad
I typically use this mango salad as a side dish or a condiment for chicken, beef, burgers or fish.
Serve it as a side dish with:
- crispy hot honey chicken wings
- Canadian maple cedar plank salmon
- grilled marinated flank steak
- stuffed portobello mushrooms
- pad Thai
Or as a topping for:
- grilled chicken burgers
- sous vide burgers
- homemade veggie burgers (baked)
- grilled shrimp tacos
Shortcuts
Keep in mind this mango salad only takes 10 minutes to make. You can, however, shave off a couple of minutes with one or more of these shortcuts.
- Cube the mango instead of slicing it into thin strips
- Use frozen cubes of ginger and garlic. These are excellent substitutes that defrost in the microwave (10 seconds on high) or by sitting on the counter.
- Leave out the bell peppers (less chopping).
- If you’re feeling lazy, just drizzle the mango salad with sweet chili sauce and leave out the other ingredients in the dressing. I would add a squeeze of lime or lemon too.
Make Ahead
If you want to make this spicy Thai mango salad recipe ahead, I suggest that you add the dressing right before serving. I find if you let it sit around with the dressing for too long, the salad tends to get watery.It still tastes good but the crispier bits start to get limp.
Peel and slice the mango several hours or a day ahead and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Likewise, the mango salad dressing can be made a few days ahead and kept in the fridge separately. When you are ready to serve, toss all the ingredients and dressing together.
Mango FAQs
Can you buy ripe mangos any time of the year?
Yes, different varieties of mangos are pretty much available throughout the year (perhaps a little less so in November and December). There are about 500 varieties of mangos so you’ll have to experiment.
The mango season for Ataulfo or honey mango (my favorites) is March to the end of June. Ataulfos are yellow in color, smaller, silky and less fibrous. Alphonso mangos are also very popular – sweet and juicy.
How can you tell if a mango is ripe?
A ripe mango will give a little when you apply pressure with your thumb. The softer it is, the sweeter it will taste.
The color of the skin is not always a sign of how ripe the mango is. Generally, however, ripe mangos are yellow or red (depending on the type of mango), especially the small area around the stem. And there will be a fragrant aroma around the stem area. Green hard mangos are not ripe.
How do you ripen a mango at home?
If your mango is not quite ripe enough, keep it on the counter for a few days to soften and ripen naturally. You can speed up this process by putting the mango in a paper bag.
What is the best way to peel and cut a mango?
There are several ways to do this, but here’s a good video on how to peel and cut a mango.
Love mangos?
Then try these other easy recipes with mango:
- mango salad dressing
- grilled chicken burgers with mango salsa
- shrimp lettuce wraps with mango slaw
- Thai grilled chicken with mango
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Simple Thai Mango Salad (10 MInutes)
Prepare for an explosion of fresh flavors and textures with this simple Thai mango salad. Silky ripe mango, crisp bean sprouts, green onions and peppers in a sweet, spicy, tangy, umami dressing. Ready in 10 minutes.
Total Time10 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Thai-Style
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 3 sides (or 2 larger)
Author: Cheryl Avrich
Ingredients
- Recipe can be doubled or tripled
- 1 large ripe mango, peeled and sliced into thin strips, Note 1 (or 2 two smaller ones)
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup sweet bell red pepper, chopped (1/4 of a red bell pepper)
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts, Note 2
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)
Mango salad dressing
- 2 tablespoon bottled sweet chili sauce, Note 3
- 1/2 lime (lime juice plus zest)
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or 1/8 tsp ground powder ginger)
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1 small clove
- 1/2 teaspoon -1 tsp fish sauce (or light soy sauce)
US Measures – Metric
Instructions
MAKE DRESSING: Mix together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
MAKE THAI MANGO SALAD: Put mango, bean sprouts, red bell pepper, cilantro and green onion in a serving bowl. Just before serving, add dressing and toss gently to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. If mangos are on the tarter side, you may want to add a splash of maple syrup, honey, brown sugar or sweet chili sauce. Serve.
Recipe Notes
- Mango: I prefer to use sweet ripe mangoes, but Thai restaurants often use the more traditional unripe mangoes for a green mango salad. They will be crunchier and tarter. Grate or slice thinly.
- Caution about bean sprouts: When eating fresh, uncooked bean sprouts (or mung beans), it’s safest to use a package that says “ready to eat” to avoid E. coli and Salmonella, particularly for pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems. They add a wonderful crunch to the salad.
- Substitutes:
- for sweet chili sauce: instead, use 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup and red pepper flakes (start with 1/4 tsp and add more if you like more heat). Plus a touch of vinegar and soy sauce.
- for bean sprouts: try diced, seeded English cucumber or canned water chestnuts. Or just leave them out.
- for fish sauce: use light soy or tamari. Or leave it out.
- Make ahead: the mango dressing can be made several days ahead. The mango can be sliced up to a day ahead and kept separately in the fridge in an airtight container. Combine all the ingredients just before serving (to avoid the salad becoming watery).
Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 584mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1206IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
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