Name: Raw Mango & Onion Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ½ Raw Mango, kairi, peeled and thinly sliced or julienned; 1 Onion, medium, thinly sliced into half-moons; 1 Green Chili Pepper, slit lengthwise; 1 tbsp Mint Leaves, roughly torn; ½ tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder, for bright color; ¼ tsp Black Salt, kala namak; ⅛ tsp Salt, to taste; ½ tsp Powdered Sugar, or jaggery powder, optional, to balance extreme sourness; ½ tsp Mustard Oil, raw, pungent mustard oil (crucial)

10 mintotal

Prep 10 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Medium

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Ingredients

½Raw Mangokairi, peeled and thinly sliced or julienned
1Onionmedium, thinly sliced into half-moons
1Green Chili Pepperslit lengthwise
1 tbspMint Leavesroughly torn
½ tspKashmiri Chili Powderfor bright color
¼ tspBlack Saltkala namak
⅛ tspSaltto taste
½ tspPowdered Sugaror jaggery powder, optional, to balance extreme sourness
½ tspMustard Oilraw, pungent mustard oil (crucial)

Quantities are for 2 servings.

Fifteen minutes, including the five it sits so the onion pickles slightly in the mango juice.

Method

In a mixing bowl, combine the thinly sliced raw mangoes, sliced onions, and slit green chillies.
Sprinkle the Kashmiri red chilli powder, black salt, regular salt, and sugar (if using) evenly over the mixture.
Add the roughly torn fresh mint leaves.
Drizzle the raw mustard oil directly over the spices.
Using your hands, toss and 'massage' the salad vigorously for a minute. The salt and oil will draw out the juices from the mango and onion, creating a natural, highly pungent, wet dressing.
Let the salad sit for 5 minutes before serving so the onions slightly pickle in the raw mango juice.
5 min
Serve fresh. Do not store for long, or it will lose its crunch.

How to tell it's done

Wet, glistening, heavily spiced strips of onion and mango that deliver a massive, crunchy hit of sour, spicy, and pungent mustard flavors.

Getting it right

Tip

The few drops of raw, unheated mustard oil combined with the sour raw mango juice create a flavor profile that mimics instant Indian pickle (Achaar).

What to serve it with

A fine summer lunch accompaniment. A small spoonful alongside plain dal chawal lifts the whole meal.

Common mistakes

The salad is punishingly sour.: Raw mango varies enormously in acidity. Taste a sliver before you dress the bowl and adjust the sugar accordingly — the half-teaspoon here suits a moderately sour mango, and a very green one will need more.

Storing and reheating

Best within a few hours, as the recipe says. It keeps a day in the fridge but the onion goes limp and the mango loses its snap. Slice both ahead if you like and dress at the table.

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