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Thai style Green Mango Salad

A lovely colleague and friend of mine gave me green mangoes this week inspiring me to make a salad to go with Thai Red Roast Pork.

A delicious combination which transported me back to eating Thai street food on my first visits to Thailand.

Whilst this recipe is simpler than traditional Thai versions and doesn’t include shrimp paste. You could roast 1/4 teaspoon some in foil and add to the dressing at the whisking stage.

You can also add prawns, tomatoes and cucumbers to this to make it a meal in itself, just make more dressing.

Ingredients

Salad:

1-2 green mangoes, peeled and grated (stop grating when you get to the seed)

1 large carrot grated

1/2 red onion or 3 eschallots finely sliced

1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves

1/4 cup fried shallots (ready made available in Asian stores)

1/4 cup peanuts

Dressing:

Juice of 2 limes

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar or palm sugar

3 cloves garlic

1-2 red chillies

3 kaffir lime leaves, vein removed and sliced into slithers

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method:

Thai style green mango salad with peanuts and fried shallots

Grate and slice salad ingredients.
Pound garlic, kaffir lime leaves and chilli together in mortar and pestle (this helps release flavour from the lime leaves and enable garlic and chilli flavours to meld into dressing more
Put paste into a medium bowl, add rest of ingredients and whisk until sugar dissolves (well mostly dissolves) Taste to check if additional fish sauce (salty) or sugar (sweet) needed to balance the flavour.
Add peanuts to a dry non-stick frying pan and toast until browned (careful not to burn)1
Assemble all the salad ingredients except he peanuts and fried shallots
Add dressing and mix thoroughly then scatter over fried onions and peanuts to finish.

January 31, 2026January 31, 2026

ShanthiniLeave a comment

Urban Urab: Balinese style coconut and vegetables

Urab Sayur is a green vegetable and coconut salad that we often enjoy in Bali.

Whilst we can’t get the ingredients for our favourite fern tip “Urab” in Sydney, my so-called Urban Urab comes close to replicating the fresh and delicious flavours using local ingredients.

It goes well alongside Zuchinni in Coconut Milk Curry Sauce and Balinese Pork or any grilled or roast seafood or meat.

Ingredients:

250g green beans, finely sliced
2 cups of baby spinach sliced finely into shreds
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
2 small red chillis
4 eschallots or a small red onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/4 teaspoon shrimp paste (optional)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of one lime
1/4 cup Asian fried shallots
2 tablespoons oil

Method:

Pound garlic and chillies together in a mortar and pestle to create a paste
Finely slice eschallots or red onion and the green beans….as finely as you can. Keep them in seperate bowls.
Heat oil, add onion and cook slowly until caramelised and brown, then add garlic chilli paste and shrimp paste (if using) and cook for 1-2 minutes. (The shrimp paste will be smelly but adds depth and authenticity)
Add green beans, fish sauce and water and cook until beans are tender but still have some crunch …about 2-3 minutes (I don’t use extra salt as the shrimp paste and fish sauce are salty but you can add salt to your taste)
Remove from heat, add shredded spinach, dessicated coconut, drizzle with lime juice and scatter over the Asian fried shallots

February 1, 2025February 1, 2025

ShanthiniLeave a comment

Zuchinni in Coconut Milk Curry Sauce

Inspired by the delicious, light “Kari Sayur” or vegetable curry side dishes which accompany most Balinese meals, this is a simple, quick side dish alongside Balinese Pork or just eat the whole bowl as a main course!

This version is very simple but comes close to the real deal using basic ingredients which are easy to get outside of Bali.

Ingredients:

1-2 eschallots (small red onion) finely diced

2-3 cloves of garlic

2 small red chillies

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon of fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 cup water

2-3 zuchinnis cut into medium size chunks

Salt to taste

Method:

Pound together garlic and chillies to create a paste or if easier just use a garlic press and finely chop the chillies.
Finely dice the eschallots or red onion
Heat oil over medium heat, add onion and cook slowly until soft and transparent about 5 minutes
Add garlic and chillies, turmeric powder and cook for about 1 minute, then add coconut milk, zuchinni, salt, fish sauce and water…bring to boil and simmer slowly until zuchinni is tender. You might need to add more coconut milk and/or water as you want the end result to be soupy and not dry.
Serve as a delicious side dish to anything, but great with Balinese Pork and jasmine rice.

February 1, 2025

Shanthini1 Comment

Real-good #Ramen @Canteen in #Canberra

Absolutely rocking ramen lunch recently at Canteen http://www.eatcanteen.com.au

It’s tucked away in Dairy Road behind the Capital Brewery in Canberra. Ramen by day, izakaya by night.

Already lauded by the SMH Good Food Guide (https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/topic/canteen-restaurant-6gha), they specialise in delicious Tori style ramen.

We started with a delicious chicken katsu white bread sando shared between 4 of us as a starter!

Mouthwatering katsu Sando at Canteen, Canberra

We then progressed to the real-good ramen Classic Daddy, Hot Daddy and Spicy Pork Matzesoba (soba noddles without the soup)

The ramen is delicious and stands true to the promise of respecting time honoured tradition in creating the quality broth and noodles.

Canteen have created a lovely contemporary bar, garden and restaurant which is a great spot for really-good ramen in Canberra!

Busy Ramen kitchen at Canteen in Canberra

December 14, 2024

ShanthiniLeave a comment

Sunday Buffet @yellowflowercafe #ubud #penestanan

If you want a truly authentic Balinese buffet experience then this is it! Stunning setting, warm and friendly service, off the beaten track. Take your phone torch and trek up through the back lanes of Penastanan village on the outskirts of Ubud for a truly memorable feast,

View of Mt Agung from Yellow Flower Cafe

Not just veg, Sunday buffet at Yellow Flower Café Ubud

Fern salad, tempeh, tofus, chicken lawar, sambal, pandan rice….list goes on!

Stunning setting for Sunday buffet at Yellow Flower Cafe Penestanan, Ubud.

July 17, 2024

Shanthini1 Comment

Cinammon, coconut, apple cake

This cake combines so many things I love: crunchy cinammon topping, icing glaze, moist cake and coconut-flavours.

Easily a dessert if served with whipped cream/sour cream/ice-cream….or just delicious on its own with a cup of tea!

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

1 pink lady apple, 1/2 roughly chopped and 1/2 cut into,thin slices

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1/2 cup plain yoghurt

1/2 cup coconut oil or any vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon topping:

1.5 tablespoon butter melted

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons white sugar

Icing Sugar Glaze:

1/2 cup icing sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven 180 degrees Celsius, line an 8 inch cake tin with baking paper.

2.in one large bowl whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda sugar, salt and dessicated coconut (all dry ingredients), add chopped apple and mix gently through.