while in manhattan last month, i ate thai food like every other day. the abundance of amazing thai cuisine in the city is overwhelming. i was particularly fond of the mango salad or yum ma-muang at aura / zoob zib in hell's kitchen.
we have two thai restaurants back home in the 'burg. both make a decent pad thai, but neither makes papaya or mango salad. so i made my own version at home sans shrimp. it's a gorgeous color burst of flavor: the mango is sweet, the avocado is buttery and the dressing is (super!) spicy. mangoes are quite challenging to julienne; i think mine were transitioning from green to ripe and they were a little hard to handle. says the girl with two bandaged fingers.
thai green mango salad
- two green mangoes, julienned (they need to be firm, not yet ripe; you might not need two if you are more skilled with the knife than i. aura puts the mango through a pasta cutter set to spaghetti instead of the julienne. mango noodles!)
- 1/4 red pepper, diced
- 1/4 purple onion (i used the last of my pickled onions from last week)
- fresh cilantro to taste (i like a lot)
- fresh basil to taste
- one avocado, sliced
- cashews, toasted
the dressing
- juice of one lime
- one tablespoon fish sauce (i used vegetarian fish sauce that i purchased in nyc)
- one tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 thai chili, seeded and finely diced
- pinch of red pepper flakes
combine mango, red pepper, onions and cilantro and set aside. mix dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. dress mango salad lightly. slice or dice avocado and top salad or mix in. garnish with basil ribbons and cashews.
colorful food just makes me so happy.
i've been playing around with making cocktails with my home brewed kombucha, since i always seem to have a lot on hand. i love this one in particular.
i call it the lotus.
- 1/2 lime, sliced and muddled with a bit of sugar in the glass
- pour one inch st. germain elderflower liqueur
- add crushed ice (i have a hand crank ice crusher and was summer-afternoon-lazy, so cubes are pictured above. crushed is better.)
- fill to top with lavender kombucha (hibiscus would work nicely too)
- garnish with edible flowers
possibly a little over the top with the flowers but so so good!
