Submitted by Vida Pourhashem

About the cook: Vida is a university student with a passion for learning about foods from different cultures. She first got into cooking and baking because she could no longer stand her mother's foods. After learning and getting comfortable with basic dishes, she decided to venture out of her comfort zone and discover more cuisines. Her current goal is to learn how to make each country's most popular dish!

About the dish: This recipe came out of my cravings for something bright and refreshing but also something with a depth of flavour. What developed was an idea to create my take on a mango salad (Thai) with a miso-based dressing (Japanese). After making it the first time, my mother frequently asks for it to accompany our meals.

National Origin: Thai

Serves: 4

Estimated Time: Under 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

Miso-Sesame Dressing:
- 1.5~2 tbsps miso (yellow or red)
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1~1.5 tbsps honey
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1" piece fresh ginger, grated
- Optional: 1 tsp soy sauce

Mango Salad:
- 1/2 English cucumber, julienned
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- 3 green onions, halved down the middle and cut into 2" pieces (both green and white parts)
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage
- 2 Thai mangoes, thinly sliced and halved crosswise

Preparation:

Pre-Preparation Tips:
– If your cabbage has developed a slight bitter taste, toss the shredded cabbage in salt and let it rest in the fridge for a couple hours. Before adding to the salad, rinse the cabbage thoroughly with cold water and pat dry.

Dressing Preparation:

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1.5 tbsps miso with the rice wine vinegar and lime juice. When the miso has dissolved completely, whisk in 1 tbsp honey and all other dressing ingredients. Set aside.

Tips:
-To reduce the acidity of the dressing, whisk in 1/4 to 1/2 tbsp more of honey.
-For a deeper umami flavour in the dressing, whisk in 1/4 to 1/2 tbsp more of the miso. Make sure the miso is completely dissolved before adding to the salad.

Salad Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients together. Add half the dressing to the salad and toss. Add more dressing if desired, otherwise cover remaining dressing and store it in the fridge (should keep for several days).

Set salad aside for a few minutes before serving. Cover remaining salad and store it in the fridge to keep for several days.

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