My Burmese friend’s yummy salad

So, my dear friend and coworker went back home to visit his parents in Burma. Well, I guess I miss my very intellectual friend and his wife’s cooking. LOL! Let me explain. We sit and have lunch together just about everyday. His wife graciously puts together these wonderful lunches together for him, daily. Oh, how I envy. I keep telling him that I will pay his wife to make my lunches, too. But, it doesn’t quite seem to work out. Oh well! So instead, I am always snagging a taste test here and there.

And this recipe is one of them. May sound odd, but let me tell you it is delicious and simple! He tells me that it is a traditional Burmese dish that can be made either with a mango or papaya. A few ingredients, toss together and Wha-la! Well, I even went home to make this for myself and it tasted just as good. So, if I can make it wonderfully, then so can you!

Mango Onion Salad
[or also known in Thai as “Thayet chin thouk” (say that 10 times fast!)]:

1 ripe papaya or mango, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced and sauteed
1/4 cup chopped corriander (cilantro) leaves
1/4 jalapeno chili (optional), stemmed, seeded, deveined,and finely chopped
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1-2 lime(s), juiced
2 tsp sugar
Salt & Pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the papaya/mango, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice and sugar. Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place on plate and scatter with roasted peanuts (I was out of roasted peanuts so I improvised with sunflower seeds; just as yummy). Eat and enjoy!

Variations: Instead of a jalapeno, you could use 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes (the kind you use on your pizza). You could also add some cooked salad shrimp.

Again, may sound like an odd combination of ingredients, but don’t knock it until you try it! Happy Monday my fellow bloggers. Over and out: ~ Money Funk

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