Green Mango Salad with Prawn & Pork

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Generally papaya is used in this dish, which is used in Vietnamese cooking as a vegetable. In NZ, it is really hard to find green papaya so I replace it with mango which has that same deep, dry, sweet flavour when green – which I love, love, love and it works so well with the prawn and pork.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook time: None

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 small green mango
200g cooked pork belly (*see below), thinly sliced
200g cooked tiger prawns, peeled, deveined, sliced
handful mint leaves, sliced
handful Asian basil leaves, sliced
handful coriander leaves, sliced
3 tbsp nuoc mam cham
1 tbsp fried shallots**
1 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts
½ tsp fried garlic chips***
1 red chili, sliced

*Cooked Pork Belly
200g pork belly
2 slices fresh ginger
pinch of salt

**Fried Shallots (makes about 1 cup)
200g Asian red shallots
2 cups Vegetable oil (you can reuse)

***Fried Garlic Chips
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups vegetable oil (you can reuse)

Instructions

Peel the mango, thinly slice the flesh from around the large stone then slice into fine strips.

*Cooked Pork Belly
Pop pork belly in a small pan and cover with cold water. Add the ginger and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, skim off any scum, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave in the broth for a further 10 minutes, then remove, allow to cool, then slice thinly.

**Fried Shallots
Thinly slice the shallots and wash under cold water. Dry with a cloth, then set aside on paper towels until completely dry (I do this over night).

Heat oil in a pan or wok to 180C or until a piece of bread turns golden brown in 15 secs. Fry the shallots in small batches until golden brown, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

These are best fresh but will keep in an air tight container for up to 2 days.

***Fried Garlic Chips
Heat oil in pan or wok as above. Add the garlic and fry until golden, be careful not to overcook, as it will keep cooking when removed from the pan. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Store as with the shallots.

In a large bowl combine the mango, pork belly, prawns, herbs and nuoc mam cham. Toss together well. Serve with extra herbs.