Recipes

Hoi An green mango, tamarind, mint and cashew salad

Posted on July 11 2025 at 09:05

One of the most exciting cookbooks to come out so far this year is Gurdeep Loyal’s Flavour Heroes, an inspirational collection of recipes based on the ingredients that have come our way in the last 10 years or so.

This one is based on tamarind, an appetisingly sour fruit that is compressed into a block or, more commonly made into a paste these days. Here Gurd uses it in an appetisingly sharp-flavoured salad that is perfect for summer eating.

Incidentally I made it myself and found it made enough dressing to save some for another salad or dip. It really is absolutely delicious. Note it helps to have a julienne peeler to shred the mango and that the dressing is cooked so needs cooling before you assemble the salad.

Gurdeep writes: “H?i An in Vietnam is a miraculous place – an ancient town of winding canals, ornate temples, pagodas, bridges and beautiful stretches of paddy fields that you can cycle through all the way to the blissfully sandy shores of An Bang beach.

Street-food vendors set up shop daily along the banks of H?i An’s canals, selling such delights as báhn xèo (crispy pancakes), c?m t?m (broken rice), g?i cu?n (shrimp summer rolls) and delicious g?i xoài (green mango salad), which is sold in plastic bags with
pouches of tangy chilli-tamarind dressing on the side. This recipe evokes my memories of that special place, and those very special bags of joy.”

SERVES 2–3
10g (¼oz) dried shrimp (optional)
1 large green (unripe) raw mango or raw papaya, peeled
1 large carrot
1 large red shallot
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
2 Tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
5 teaspoons of warm water
1 Tbsp tamarind paste
zest of 1 and juice of 2 limes
2 Tbsp fish sauce or vegan alternative
small handful of mint leaves
fine sea salt
To garnish
20g (¾oz) roasted cashews, crushed crispy onions

Put the dried shrimp (if using) in a small bowl, pour over boiling water and soak for 10 minutes.

Use a julienne peeler to shred the mango flesh from the large seed and the carrot into long thin threads. Chop the shallot into thin rings. Tumble together into a large bowl.

For the dressing, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, then add the garlic and very gently sizzle over a low heat for 3–4 minutes until it just takes on a little colour. Next, add the drained shrimp and chopped chilli. Sizzle for another 1 minute. Now, add the sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and the warm water, mixing until the sugar and salt dissolve.

Remove from the heat, then whisk through the tamarind paste, lime zest and juice, and fish sauce.

Pour into a bowl and leave to cool completely.

Once cool, whisk the dressing one last time, then pour over the shredded mango and carrots, tossing to coat everything well. Tear in the fresh mint, mixing again, then garnish with roasted cashews and crispy onions. Enjoy.

What to drink: With Vietnamese food it rather depends what else is on the table but overall I’d be inclined to go for an Australian riesling or a dry rosé. Or, if you’re not drinking, a lime soda FB

For other wine suggestions see what type of wine pairs best with Vietnamese food

Extracted from Flavour Heroes by Gurdeep Loyal, published by Quadrille at £27. Photograph by Patricia Niven.

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