Vietnamese Mango Shrimp Salad

In Asian cuisines, the salad is a combination of sweet and spicy. Mango salad is very tropical and a popular snack sold on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand or Saigon, Vietnam. With many salads that I grew up with and loved, Mango salad is one of my favorites. In Vietnam, we use a really green mango, called Soai Tuong, but I seldom see this kind of green mango in Asian groceries in America. However, the other kind of green mango that is often used in Mexican or Donica recipes can be substituted. The Thai mango shrimp salad and the Vietnamese green mango salad share the same dressing. The components of the dressing that are included are the Thai hot chili, garlic, and fish sauce. Some mango recipes use shrimp paste to add the pungent taste in the salad. I am not fond of this paste, so I leave it out. The carrot and red bell pepper is used to create the contrast color for the salad.

Ingredients
½ lb. shrimp (with shell on)
2 tbs dried shrimp, soaked in water and roughly chopped
2 mangoes, peeled and shredded
1 small carrot, julienned
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced red onions
Dressing ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut water
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs fish sauce
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs lemon or lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Thai chili, sliced

 Garnishes:
Chopped mints, cilantro, and basil
Crispy shallots
Chopped roasted peanuts

Directions
Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
To poach shrimp:
In a saucepan, add 1 cup water with a few pieces of lemongrass, sliced onions, 1/4 cup sake or wine, 1 tsp salt, and lemon zest. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer shrimp until the shrimp turn pink or become a C shape. Remove and shell the shrimp.

To make crispy shallots:
Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a saucepan. Peel and slice one large shallot and add to the hot oil. Turn the heat down and fry until crispy (it takes 10 to 15 minutes). Remove the crispy shallot and save the flavored oil for other dishes..

In a small nonstick frying pan, add 1 tsp of the flavored shallot oil. Add the chopped dried shrimp with 1 tsp soy sauce and 1/4 tsp sugar and salt..  Stir-fry for a few minutes; remove from heat.

 

Assembling the salad:
In a mixing bowl, combine mango, carrot, bell pepper, and red onions; Mix well.

To serve:
Place some of the mango mixture on a serving plate. Layer some of the crispy shallots and dried shrimp with the chopped herbs. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Top with cooked shrimp and peanuts. Serve extra dressing on the side.