Broccoli Salad with Mango-Sriracha Dressing

Written by Published on in Dairy Free, Lunchbox Friendly, Salads, Sides, Vegan Friendly

Sweet? Check. Savoury? Check. Tart? Check. Spicy? Hell, yes!

This is the salad that has a bit of everything and sure packs a punch.

Where do I begin with my love for Sriracha sauce? I drizzle this sauce on most things I eat. I was thinking of ways to incorporating this awesome sauce (Lol, I said it!) in a sweet-tart-savory dish. I had a lovely, ripe mango sitting pretty in the fridge that was begging to be used. I’ve had a broccoli and mango salad with a generous drizzle of Sriracha of course, and loved it. Based on that flavour combination, I came up with this dish that is nutritious, absolutely delish and easy to make.

Oh, and I can’t stress enough on the goodness that broccoli comes with. It is one vegetable that is fully-loaded with vitamins, fibre, folate, calcium, zinc and the works. Low in calories when steamed (like in this recipe), it is a low-glycemic veggie making it perfect for diabetics and those on a low GI diet.

Ingredients

For the dressing:

  • Ripe mango – 2 cheeks, skin removed
  • Sriracha sauce – 4 tblpns.

For the salad:

  • Broccoli – 1 head, cut into florets
  • Shredded carrots and cabbage (Optional) – ¼ cup
  • Salad greens – small handful
  • Salt and pepper – To taste

Directions

  1. In a blending jar, add the mango flesh and the Sriracha sauce.
  2. Blend to a smooth paste. Dilute it with water, if you prefer your dressing thin.
  3. Keep the dressing aside or refrigerate if you’re making it ahead for salad to be served later.
  4. Blanch the broccoli florets. Alternatively, you could steam the broccoli florets in a steamer or in a microwave for about 90 seconds on high setting.
  5. Once done, strain any excess water to keep the broccoli making the salad soggy.
  6. Arrange the salad greens in a serving bowl and top it with the shredded carrots and cabbage.
  7. Place the steamed broccoli florets on top of the veggies and lettuce leaves.
  8. Drizzle the dressing on top of the salad.
  9. Season with salt and pepper.
  10. Serve warm or chilled.

 

Tips:

  1. Skip the shredded veggies and salad greens. I have used them to make the salad more filling.
  2. Add a crunchy element to the salad by adding toasted and crushed peanuts or slightly toasted sesame seeds.
  3. The dressing will stay fresh refrigerated  for about 4 days.
  4. Adjust the Sriracha sauce to mango ratio to suit your taste. Increase the quantity of mango flesh if you like your dressing sweet or if you like it spicy, you know what to do! ☺
  5. No Sriracha sauce? No problem, add any hot sauce variety you may have.
  6. Got no hot sauce? No problem again! Blend the mangoes with ketchup and some chilli flakes.
  7. If you do not have access to fresh mangoes, use the frozen ones. Thaw about ¼ of a cup of frozen mangoes and follow the process in the recipe.
  8. Not the mango season? I am afraid, you’ll have to wait for the season. But hey, you can save or bookmark this recipe!

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