Recipe Description
Kerabu mangga is a simple mango salad that is usually eaten as a Malay appetizer. It is quite similar to Thai mango salad, Som Tam, which is a little tangier and spicier with a hint of fish sauce.
Malaysian mango salad features dried shrimp and belacan instead, and may include a combination of several aromatic herbs such as torch ginger flower, shallots, cilantro, scallions, lemon grass or kaffir lime leaves.
The result is a visually appetising plate of crispy salad speckled throughout with an iridescent palette of bright colours. Although green mango is the preferred fruit, medium ripe mangoes may also be used for this salad.
The dressing for this salad is just a simple combination of salt, sugar and lime juice, although you may add fish sauce and juice of a kaffir lime or lemon and its zest.
You may toast the peanuts ahead of time and use them as needed, but somehow I like the taste of freshly toasted nuts on the day they are made in this salad.
The trick in keeping this salad crispy is to toss everything together just before it is served. This also keeps the freshly toasted peanuts crunchy, and you may scatter an additional handful of peanuts and fried anchovies for extra crunch.
Kerabu mangga can be paired with grilled meats and seafood, or even eaten with plain steamed rice. It is a side dish that enhances many dishes, opening up the appetite and encouraging you to eat more rice.
This recipe first appeared in The Star Online > Food
Recipe Ingredient
- 3 green mangoes, peeled and julienned
- 5 pods red chilies, seeded and julienned
- 2 sprigs cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 buds torch ginger flower
- 2 bulbs shallots, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 pods bird's eye chilies, sliced
- Pound ingredients:
- 50g dried shrimps, toasted
- 1cm ginger
- 50g belacan, toasted
- 75g raw peanuts, toasted and skinned
- Seasoning:
- 1/2 tsp salt to taste
- 2 tsp sugar to taste
- 3 fresh limes
Instructions
- Place all salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
- Pound toasted dried shrimp in mortar and pestle into a fine paste, add ginger and belacan and continue pounding until mashed.
- Add peanuts and lightly pound into a coarse meal, then sprinkle all over the salad greens.
- Season with salt, sugar and lime to taste.
- Toss and serve immediately, or if kept in a chiller consume within a day.
