This is one of those recipes that is as refreshing and colorful as it is good for you. If you like mangoes, you will love it! It combines the tanginess of lime juice, spiciness of red chili sauce and sweetness of the mangoes and sugar.
There are many mango salad recipes out there but I added coleslaw to this one for added nutrition and crunchiness. Feel free to serve this a main course or an accompaniment to fish or chicken or pork chops. I served it with chicken barbecued on skewers. I’ve also had this delicious rainbow coloured salad for a light lunch.
The two main ingredients are mangoes and cabbage. Both are chock-full of healthy nutrients. This is not a common pairing – mangoes & cabbage. But believe me, you will love how refreshing this salad tastes.
Mangoes:
Mangoes are thought to have originated in India and have been eaten for thousands of years. These tropical gems are aptly called the “king of fruits” – you will see why, what a nutritional profile this fruit has! They come in many varieties but my family and I like the Ataulfo mangoes ones the most. Just look at the pretty paisley shape! Go ahead and use any variety your supermarket carries. Luckily, there are many varieties available nowadays.
mangoes contain:
Over a dozen antioxidants, a few Vitamin Bs, Vitamin C (1 cup provides 70% of required vitamin C), Vitamin A, folate, Vitamin K, digestive enzymes, and dietary fiber.
health benefits of mangoes:
Aids digestion, boosts immunity, improves eyesight, may help lower the risk of some cancers and helps with iron absorption.
Cabbage
Like so many kids, I was not too fond of cabbage when I was a child. I can’t imagine why but this is a common thing isn’t it? Our taste preferences grow and change as we age. And it’s a good thing this happens! Without this process, we would miss out on so many wonderful foods that are delicious and nutritious. As an adult, I realized that cabbage is inexpensive and an exceptionally nutritious vegetable.
Cabbage is more nutritious un-cooked than cooked. Aside from coleslaw, this is the only other recipe I know that incorporates un-cooked cabbage.
I am trying to incorporate red (or purple) cabbage into my diet but this recipe calls for green cabbage. It’s ok to add a bit of the red variety to add colour or special nutrients. It will make the dish even more colorful than it already is!
cabbages contain:
Cabbage is packed with antioxidants, Vitamin C, A & K, folate, potassium, magnesium and fiber.
health benefits of cabbage:
May help prevent diabetes, helps minimize inflammation in the body, may help prevent cancer, may help prevent heart problems, could lower cholesterol, may lower blood pressure, and aids in digestion.
Hope you are convinced that this is a super fun, unique and nutritious salad. Here is the recipe!
Thai Mango Slaw
2 to 3 large green mangoes (not fully ripe), julienned
1 package of prepared coleslaw
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, julienned
1 cup each mint and Thai basil leaves, chopped roughly (*it’s ok to omit the basil if you can’t find it but just know that it’s delicious)
1 tbsp chili sauce
¼ cup lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
Salt, pepper
Coriander, for garnish
Roasted peanuts, for garnish (optional)
In a bowl, combine all ingredients and gently toss. Please taste and adjust seasoning at this point. Some of us prefer it to be tangier, some like it more sweet and others will prefer to highlight the spiciness.
If you like peanuts and do not have allergies, go ahead and add some chopped, roasted peanuts. It will add even more crunch.
a couple of things to consider:
If you are watching your sugar intake, you can replace the sugar with maple syrup. Or don’t add anything sweet at all! Mangoes already provide sweetness. Most Thai mango salad recipes contain more mango. This recipe is more of a “slaw”.
Authentic Thai salad contains fish sauce. I do not actually use it. It absolutely does not agree with me. I can tell you that it does add a lot of depth to the flavor. Go ahead and omit if you cannot tolerate fish sauce. Your gut will thank you for it! If you can tolerate it, by all means, use it! It make the salad unique and delicious.
Thai basil is available in Asian markets but you can omit if you cannot find it. The salad will still be delicious. Thai basil is very different from Italian basil so please do not try to use the latter as a substitute.
Try to find a coleslaw mix that contains red cabbage and carrots in addition to the regular cabbage. Keep in mind however; Vitamin C content is less in pre-cut mixes. In fact, the amount of Vitamin C diminishes once the cabbage has been cut. Cover remaining portions in plastic wrap to slow down the escape of Vitamin C.
Dazzle your family and friends with this unique salad! Hope you love this salad as much as my family and I do.
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