You need hard, semi-ripe mangoes for this, as they tend to have a good balance between sweetness and acidity. They don’t have to be Indian – the green Brazilian mangoes available all year round work really well.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons rapeseed oil
- 3 banana shallots, thinly sliced
- 450 g g hard paneer, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- 2 teaspoons tamarind paste
- salt
- 2 large semi-ripe mangoes
- 120 g mixed salad leaves (e.g. baby spinach and lamb’s lettuce)
- 15 g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 20 g fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 green finger chilli, chopped
- 2 cm ginger, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
How to Make It
- Put 2 tablespoons of the oil into a frying pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add the shallots. Stir-fry the shallots until softened, then add the paneer.
- Fry the paneer for around 4 minutes, until golden and crisp, turning every minute or so, then add the tamarind paste and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Stir-fry for a minute or two, then take off the heat.
- Peel each mango with a vegetable peeler, then slice off both ‘cheeks’ of the mango as close to the stone as possible. Slice off the remaining sides. Cut the mango into wedges around 1 cm at the thick end and put into a bowl, along with the mixed leaves, mint and coriander.
- Next make the dressing. If you have a pestle and mortar, bash the green chilli and ginger together until it forms a smooth paste. If not, very finely chop both ingredients. Mix together with the lime juice, honey, ¼ teaspoon of salt and the remaining oil, then taste and adjust as you see fit.
- Add the paneer mixture and dressing to the salad bowl, and mix together just before serving.
