Mango, Litchi and Coriander Salad with Chilli and Lime Dressing.

As promised, here is the salad. While there is a lot of sweetness in the salad from the fruit this is well balanced out by the saltiness of the cheese and the sourness of the lime. The coriander leaves (also known as Cilantro in the States, and in Indian cooking as Dhania) adds the greens but also it's own flavour to the salad. The chili adds a spicy tang which balances the dish. This salad would go well with grilled lamb chops, and some simply boiled potatoes tossed in olive oil. You could also substitute the potatoes with Naan bread.


Just one last note before I get to the recipe, and that is that I think that this dish displays the most important part of any dish and that is balance. I cannot emphasise enough how important the following elements are and how balance holds the ultimate key to a good meal: Variety is, after all the spice of life!

As I pointed out above the tastes compliment and balance each other out, even though each of the ingredients have distinct individual flavours, they compliment each other and fuse to become something new. Similarly there is a balance of colours and textures. The bright orange colour of the mango, the green of the coriander and the white of the cheese and the translucence of the litchi, be-speckled with red chili all serve up a visual feast. Lastly texture is balanced out with the succulence of the mango and litchi is set off against the creaminess of the cheese and the crunchiness of the coriander and the chili.

Salad:
One large mango
Eight litchis (peeled and pips removed)
A small bunch of coriander leaves (about a cup when roughly chopped)
80grams of feta cheese (or ricotta)

Dressing:
One lime
One small-deseeded red chili
A piece of ginger, about 2cm thick
30-40mm olive oil (extra virgin if you have)


Peel the mango and cut around the large pip. Then cut the mango into thin (about half a cm thick) strips. Shred the litchis. Place the chopped coriander on a platter. Arrange the mango strips on top. Place the shredded litchi in between the mango and then crumble the cheese on top of that. Season with salt and black pepper (but hold off on the salt if you are using a salty feta)


For the dressing, grate the zest of the lime into a container and then juice the lime on top of that. Finely chop the chili and grate in the ginger. Add the olive oil (it should be about a third of the dressing, so add accordingly), mix and pour evenly over the salad.

If you like you could also add boiled prawns to the salad, at the stage before you dress it. Serve with a garlic naan.

If you have this salad with just the garlic naan I would recommend a Chenin Blanc or with it as a meal or a light Sauvignon Blanc that has citrus overtones in it.

The same Sauvignon with or a Rosé if you make it with the prawns I’d probably opt for a dry Pinotage Rosé, Delheim makes and excellent one.

If you have it accompanying your lamb chops I’d leave it up to you to have a red or a rosé of your choice. But in the red category I’d probably go for a Merlot as that is lightly oaked or a dry red blend.

I don’t think that there is a single wine that you can have with this, for one different wine estates bring out different flavours in their varieties and then two different types of wine can be equally enjoyable but produce a totally different taste experience.

Bon Appétit