Goi Xoai Xanh (Vietnamese Green Mango Salad)

Since I discussed the basics of Vietnamese "dressings" in my post about cucumber salad, you can take that same principle and apply it to most any Vietnamese salad.

A green mango is tartly sour and if used in a salad is similar to a Thai green papaya salad. Except whereas the Thai papaya salads use either shrimp or crab, this salad relies upon dried squid. Of course, you can use shrimp or crab if you wish. The flavor you're trying to get with the seafood is that salty, briny taste. My second-youngest aunt had made this salad once and I just thought the amalgam of flavors of sour, salty, sweet, was just so wonderful.

Dried squid can be found at most Asian grocery stores. I cook mine over the gas flame on my stove top. Just hold the squid with a pair of tongs over the flame until the squid chars and curls up. Then shred into strips. If you can't find whole dried squid, you can probably find packages of dried squid or cuttlefish strips. They're a popular snack so you'll be more likely to find them near the checkout aisle.

Goi Xoai Xanh (Vietnamese Green Mango Salad)

You'll need:
2 green mangos, peeled and grated or finely julienned
2 small tomatoes cut into strips or small chunks
several sprigs of mint, cut into fine strips
dried squid, flame-roasted and shredded into strips

For the dressing, you'll need:
a few cloves of garlic
chili peppers, 1 or 2 pods
fish sauce, to taste
sugar, about a tblsp or to taste
vinegar, to taste
lemon or lime juice, to taste

Green mangoes should be firm. You can easily peel the skin with a vegetable peeler. Then grate through the largest holes, or finely julienne. I like to slice my tomatoes into strips to match the mangoes, but you can cut them into chunks of you wish. Finely slice the mint leaves into strips as well.

For the dressing, in a mortar and pestle, add a few cloves of garlic and a chili pepper pod or two with a tablespoon of sugar. Mash into a paste. Then add the lemon or lime juice, fish sauce, and vinegar. Adjust if necessary.

Pour dressing over salad and mix thoroughly. Allow to chill in the fridge for at least half an hour before serving. When ready to serve, add the dried shredded squid on top.

This salad can keep for several days. Don't worry about having added the squid, it'll just become wet but will still stay chewy.

The vibrant colors and sour, sweet, salty, spicy flavors makes this one of my favorite salads. Enjoy!