what will you need
Green mangoes – The star of the dish. They add crunch and flavor to the salad. These are mangoes that are not quite ripe yet, but are still edible. You can easily find them in Asian supermarkets. To make slicing easier, look for large mangoes that are firm to the touch. I like to leave the peel on for added crunch and a nice touch of green.
Calamari – Calamari come in different sizes and different stages of preparation. I like to buy the big ones in packs of 1. They are all white and come with tentacles. You can find these in the frozen seafood section of an Asian grocery store. Don’t like calamari? No problem. Substitute scallops, shrimp, or fried tofu.
Roasted Peanuts — Provides that extra crunch and nutty flavor. Don’t skip this ingredient unless you’re allergic!
Fried Shallots – You can easily get fried shallots from the store, but they’re never quite as tasty as those freshly made at home. Homemade fried shallots offer the most amazing flavor known to man. Here’s how to make it at home.
Fish Sauce Dip (Nước Mắm Chấm or simply Nước Chấm) – There is no creamy dressing here. This is a fish sauce based dressing made with fish sauce, sugar, water, coconut soda (my family’s secret), lime juice, minced garlic and fresh red chilies.
Nước Mắm Chấm is Vietnam’s mother sauce. We use this shit for everything. If you’ve never had fish sauce before, fear not. In its raw form, straight out of the bottle, yes, it can smell like death. It must be diluted and mixed with the aforementioned ingredients. Once mixed, the funkiness fades and what you have is an amazingly awesome sauce.
Vietnamese Coriander or Vietnamese Mint (Rau Răm) – Vietnamese coriander has a slightly peppery flavor, so you don’t need much, but you do need something for an authentic Vietnamese salad. If you can’t find this, substitute cilantro, Thai basil, or mint.
Shrimp Chips/Crackers — Traditional Vietnamese salads are served with crispy shrimp chips. You can either break them into small pieces or leave them whole to use as a scoop for the salad. You can find shrimp crackers in Asian stores either already fried or unfried. The unfried form, which I prefer, comes in small rectangular packages. The chips look like little white discs. Once it hits hot oil, it expands quickly and looks like styrofoam but tastes like crispy shrimpy goodness.