I love Thailand for its sensuous food, elegant people and spectacular sights. Out of the 30 or so countries I’ve visited, Thailand is easily on the very top of my favorites list. Here, I share with you some pictures of Bangkok – a city that is a beautiful mélange of ancient culture and modern lifestyle. You will find serene Buddhist temples along the Chao Phraya river. And a hop away, you will find racy go go bars in Nana plaza. It is incredible that these cultural extremes co-exist. With its night life, beautiful Wats (temples) and amazing food, Bangkok is a truly exciting place. If only Bangkok was cooler, Id move there in a heartbeat!
Above: Wat Pho in Bangkok; the gigantic reclining Buddha with mother of pearl in His feet
The most memorable part of my trip to Thailand is of course, the food. Thai cooking is seductive; and I cant think of a better recipe to showcase the beauty of Thai food like this one. Salty soy sauce, rich, sweet brown sugar, fresh zesty lime, crunchy, nutty peanuts, hot chillies, and crisp, sour mangoes. Every flavor in the world is packed into this mango salad.
Traditional Thai mango salad doesn’t have tofu in it. I added tofu to make this salad more filling.
Some tips:
Make this salad a day ahead and store it in the fridge. The flavors get so much better the next day
Only use raw, green mangoes (not the ripe yellow ones)
Leave out the chili if you prefer a milder salad
Add strips of pan-fried tofu to make this salad heartier
If you dont have a mortar and pestle, use a food processor to crush the peanuts
Thai Raw (Green) Mango Salad with Tofu Recipe
serves about 4
2 large green, raw mangoes
3/4 cup roasted peanuts
2 shallots, peeled
1 thai red chili (use more or omit according to taste)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
a few sprigs cilantro
6 oz firm tofu, drained (optional)
Salt
Peel the mangoes and cut around the pit. Discard the pit. Grate the peeled mango using a box grater. Alternatively, slice the peeled mango into very thin strips.
Place the roasted peanuts, peeled shallots and red chili in a mortar and pound to a rough paste. Add this crushed peanut mixture to the shredded mango.
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Add this to the shredded mango and peanuts. Toss well. Taste and add salt if needed. Garnish with cilantro. Serve chilled.
To add tofu to this salad: Drain tofu and pat dry. Cut it into thin strips. Pan fry the tofu strips in a little oil till golden. Toss the tofu with the mango salad.
Stunning!!! I like my mangos ripe and sweet, but this looks very refreshing for a hot day.
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I love the pics here Sala… stunning. At first glance i thought it was the raw papaya salad that one often sees in thai restaurants… a salad with raw mangoes sounds even better.
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We don’t see this salad on the menu here in the US. I love green mangoes. Thanks for sharing recipes from your trip
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Thai salads are always lipsmackingly good! Yours looks so tempting!
Cheers,
Rosa
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Thai food has the most amazing flavours! And this recipe sounds delicious.. mmm green mango.. I simply love your photos!!
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stunning pics and a pretty good write up on Thailand. I will have to try your recipe. Hope all is well on your front. cheers…
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Love mango salad, so refreshing and delicious!
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stunning picture Sala !!
this is must try salad for me as i have homemade tofu waiting ……..
i make a similar salad with raw papaya but with raw mangoes i know it’s great…….
Thanks.
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The buddha looks grand.
I had some green mango salad long time while and it was really lovely for a summer lunch buffet.
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beautiful pictures….love the salad…
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This is exactly what I was looking for .. I love raw mango salad
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i love mango salad and tofu. pitty its not to easy to get my hands on green mango as much as i want. yummy. the photos are amazing too… loved looking at them
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Oh Sala, how these photos bring back memories, we went to Bangkok for our honeymoon over 10 years ago and visited Wat Pho too. Your pics are absolutely brilliant!
And this mango salad is one of my favourite salads, I eagerly await the end of spring when I can get green mangoes then we eat this at least once a week until the season ends. Mmmm, your salad looks very, very tasty.
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I love the mix of peanuts, chiles, and lime in Thai cuisine. Beautiful photos. I hope to visit Thailand some day!
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Thai food is my favorite, fried rice or pad thai, this salad looks delicious.
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Beautiful! just beautiful! I Love raw mango, somehow never seem to get one here.
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Amazing! I am smacking my lips and dripping saliva at the sound of the green mangoes and everything else here. Loved reading this post and esp. the picture of the monk so lost in his thoughts taking a sip
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What a beautiful salad. Everything about your blog is beautiful and I am so envious of all your trips. I have a toddler who has tied my legs. Last year, when I took him to Italy, he got food poisoned and dehydrated etc etc that me and DH have decided not to take him out of the country until he is 4 or something. So no long distance travel anytime soon.:(
Beautiful clicks!
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what gorgeous photos! and that sounds incredibly yummy.
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Incredibly good. I love fresh thai salads like this, so crisp and refreshing. All the flavors are amazing together. Beautiful pics!
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I agree, Thailand is a gorgeous country to visit!
And your salad looks magnificent-so fresh and inviting! 
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I wish i could visit thailand once, but i know i wont has hubby is not a huge fan of the place. Mango salade looks so so good ,
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Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos of your trip to Thailand as wwell as a salad we can all make at home for some armchair travelling.
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What a delightful post; I would love to visit Thailand and Bangkok some day! I have a cousin who spends half his time there. Your salad looks so wonderful and tasty; next time I see mangoes I will make it !
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Now, I want to visit Thailand! Gorgeous pict thanks for the virtual tour! Mango salad is my fav Thai salad!
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Sala, I found your website quite by chance, and I am so glad I did. The pictures are mesmerizing and your recipes look great. I love to travel and eat and cook too! I’m looking forward to trying some of your recipes.
Devika
http://calcuttachow.wordpress.com
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wow these photos brings back the memories we enjoyed in Bangkok sala, wonderful pictures and beautiful dish …
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Gorgeous pictures and salad sounds delicious!!
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What a treat to see those photos. I am intrigued by what you say about Thailand being at the top of your list. Randy has been several times and he loves it as well.
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Amazing photos! I can’t wait to go there next year. Gotta save more money – 30% there!
Only recently have I tried green mango but it left me nonplussed. A ripe one tastes so much better!
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Sala, I was looking for ripe mango salads and chanced upon this post, I am thrilled to see it because I had a v memorable holiday in Thailand and saw all that you put up in the pix. Love the pic of the monk having a soft drink!
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I tried the salad this weekend, and it was delicious. The mango I bought could have been more sour..it was really green, but don’t judge a mango by its skin I guess.
Thanks for another great recipe..this one’s perfect for summer!
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Beautiful photos and recipe! I wonder how it would be with a dash of fish sauce–I’ll have to try that out. I just moved to Bangkok about a month ago and I’m looking forward to making this soon.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
September 15th, 2010 at 9:42 am
You can certainly use fish sauce, but watch the salt and soy sauce because fish sauce is already salty. Because I’m vegetarian, I dont use fish sauce in the recipe
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I love this one with raw mango. Also love Som Tam (with raw papaya).
And the monk in picture # 3 is drinking Oishi Green Tea, hehe.
I miss Bangkok after seeing your posts
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