Yum ma muang (or som tum mamuang) is a traditional Thai mango salad made from unripe mangoes. It is sweet, spicy, umami-packed, and super refreshing. Serve the easy Thai salad as a side dish, or add cooked shrimp, juicy prawns, or shredded chicken for a light summer salad for dinner.
Servings2
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dried shrimp (optional)
- 1 large green unripe mango* , peeled and cut into thin strips
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves , roughly torn
- 6 Thai basil leaves* , or mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts , roughly chopped
Spicy Salad Dressing
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar , or brown sugar to taste
- 1 to 2 Thai chillies* , finely chopped
- 2 shallots , thinly sliced
Instructions
- Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for 2 minutes, then drain and set aside.
- Next, prepare the dressing. Combine the fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar in a bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the chillies and shallots and mix well.
- To assemble the salad, put the raw mango in a large bowl with the fresh herbs and half the peanuts. Pour over the dressing, mix well, and taste. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Serve immediately, topped with the remaining peanuts and rehydrated dried shrimp.
Notes
- Green mangoes should be firm and still slightly unripe with a firm texture and tangy flavour. Admittedly, I often miss this window of perfect mango unripeness, then I just make the salad with slightly riper mangoes, reducing the sugar a bit. And, if you can’t find an unripe mango, you can use green papaya instead.
- Thai basil can be tricky to find – even at the local Asian grocery store. On those days, I use fresh mint leaves instead.
- Using 2 Thai bird's eye chillies makes a very spicy mango salad – which is how I like it. But, if you're worried about a salad that's too spicy, start with only one Thai chilli, then add the second one after tasting. Or use a milder red chilli, like a red Serrano chilli.
- See serving suggestions to bulk this basic Thai salad into a street food-style mango noodle salad.