Recipe: Thai mango basil salad with olive oil

Recipe: Thai mango basil salad with olive oil 

The king of fruits tastes great in any form. Be it mango curry, mango rice, mango chutney or even a salad. 

Did you know that apart from tasting yummilicious, mango is rich in health benefits? It lowers cholesterols, fights cancer and clears skin too! So today Godrej Nature's Basket food consultant, Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal gives us a easy to whip up and healthy mango basil salad recipe. 

Thai Mango Basil Salad with Olive Oil
Prep Time: 15 minutes 
Total Time: 15 minutes 
Serves 2-3 as a Side Dish 

Ingredients 
1 medium bowl fresh lettuce, or a combination of mixed greens (1 semi-ripe to ripe mango) 
1/2 to 1 cup cucumber, sliced 
1/4 cup dry-roasted cashew nuts 
1 tbsp Thai chillies, sliced fine 

Basil Dressing: (serves 2 people; double recipe for 3 or more) 
15-20 basil leaves, or up to 25 if leaves are small 
1 green onion, sliced (including green stem) 
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice 
1 tsp salt 
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
2 tsp. brown sugar or palm sugar 
1 chilli 

Method 

Rinse fresh greens and use salad spinner to dry. Place in a salad bowl. Add all the other vegetables.
Slice the mango on either side of the stone and scoop out the fruit. Slice fruit up into cubes. Add mango cubes to the salad. 

To make the dressing, place all basil dressing ingredients in a mini chopper, food processor or blender. Process to a coarse paste. Drizzle dressing over salad. Add nuts and toss again. 

Variations of this Salad 

Add cooked prawns, simply boiled or grilled
Add fried tofu, cut into cubes
Add grilled chicken 

HMU Tip: Boiled eggs help in muscle gain, improved eye sight, brain function and stronger bones. Add boiled eggs as a variation to this salad to increase your healthy quotient.