Vietnamese Green Mango Salad Recipe: Goi Xoai

Vietnamese salads are usually made with the same dressing. A blend of lime juice, garlic, sugar, red Thai chiles and fresh mint leaves bind raw vegetables into a flavorful and healthy salad course. Today, I made green mango salad, called gơi xoài xanh. I create long, thin strips of mango that I mixed with similarly sliced carrots. It makes a very tasty salad thanks to the tangy, sour and sweet flavors.

I made it vegetarian, but you could pair the raw vegetable salad with boiled, shredded chicken (gơi gà), boiled shrimp, dried shrimp (tôm khô) or fire-roasted shredded dried squid (khô mực), which is my favorite. 

1. Info for Vietnamese Green Mango Salad Recipe: Goi Xoai

• Cook Time: unavailable
• Total Time: unavailable
• Servings: 6
• Calories: unavailable

2. Ingredients for Vietnamese Green Mango Salad Recipe: Goi Xoai

• 2 green mangoes
• 6 long, thin carrots
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• juice of 4 limes (or lemons), freshly squeezed
• 2 tablespoons sugar cane vinegar (or more lime juice)
• 2 cloves pickled garlic (or fresh garlic), crushed and finely minced
• 2 tablespoons Vietnamese pickled shallots (see tips), thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper, freshly cracked using a mortar and pestle
• 2 teaspoons ponzu soy sauce, to taste
• 1 red Thai bird chile (optional), seeded and finely chopped
• ¼ cup Vietnamese mint, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon cilantro

3. Directions:

1. Trim the carrots on both ends. Cut the carrots, lengthwise into thin long strips. If you use the Messermeister tool (see tips), you’ll get long threads of carrot. Cut into about 5-inch strips. You could also slice the vegetables with a mandoline.
2. Using a sharp knife, trim the end of the mangoes. Peel the mangoes and cut into long, thin strips using a vegetable peeler until you reach the stone of the fruit. You might want to cut the strips (lengthwise) if the strips are too wide, using a sharp knife.
3. Place the carrots, green mangoes and pickled shallots in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Drizzle with 1 tablespoons lime juice and toss well. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Salt draws out moisture from the vegetables.
4. In a bowl, dissolve the remaining sugar in 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Let the water cool to room temperature.
5. Add the remaining lime juice and soy sauce. Mix in the garlic and red chili pepper (if used).
6. Drain and discard the macerating liquid from the pickled vegetables.
7. Add the gỏi dressing. Toss thoroughly. Set aside for about 10 minutes. Drain and discard about half of the liquid; otherwise the salad will be too watery.
8. When you’re ready to serve, add the chopped cilantro and mint. Toss well. Season with more soy sauce (if needed) and sprinkle with freshly cracked white pepper.
9. Voilà!