Name: Thai Mango and Lychee Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 2-3 large mangos, peeled and pitted; 1 20-ounce can lychees; 1 cup sweet chili sauce; Juice from one lime; 2 large garlic cloves, pressed; 1 Thai chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped; 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped; 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped; Dry toasted unsweetened coconut flakes; More chopped peanuts

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It’s not exactly tropical right now, but we can dream, right? Personally, I would serve this awesome Thai Mango and Lychee Salad any time of the year, as a salad starter or for dessert! The sweet and spicy sauce is the star of this salad and hits all the right flavor notes on top of luscious mango slices and sweet lychees, crunchy peanuts and toasted coconut flakes.

Pick ripe mangos (I caved and bought one of those mango slicers/pitters so I wouldn’t cut myself. They are slippery little devils!), get some canned lychees at the Asian market, and toss in the other ingredients. So incredibly delicious!

This Thai Mango and Lychee Salad has a sweet and spicy sauce that hits all of the right flavor notes! Serve this as a starter or for dessert!

How to safely cut a mango:

Mango, like avocados, are slippery little devils that if you aren’t extremely careful you could cut your finger! So, I went and purchased for myself this handy mango-pitting gadget that really is a game-changer! Not only does it pit the mango, but it also peels it! Then, slicing is super easy. However, if you don’t have one of these, Here are the steps to safely cut a mango:

Peel the mango from top to bottom: Using a Y-shaped peeler, work your way around the mango, removing the skin. As you expose more pulp, use a paper towel or kitchen towel to hold the peeled mango so it doesn’t slip out of your hand. Peel away the tips.
Determine the tallest line of the mango: Place the mango on the cutting board and find the side that seems the tallest—the pit will be sitting along that line.
Slice in half, avoiding the pit: Holding the mango with a paper towel or kitchen towel, position the chef’s knife, aiming it at the center of the fruit; you may need to adjust the angle of the knife if you find that you hit the pit. Slice the sides off the mango, avoiding the pit.
Cut around the pit: Holding the fruit vertically, trim the remaining flesh off the pit.
Slice the cut halves: Finish the mango by slicing the pieces horizontally into smaller wedges.

Make sure to pick ripe (but not overripe) mangos. Get yourself one of these mango-pitting gadgets that keeps you from slicing your finger open! SO worth it!