Toasted coconut, mango and carrot salad

This is a Tropical salad, fresh, light and full of fun flavours. It is a super simple salad to make, too.

This Maldivian salad is about fresh and sweet mangoes, and highlights the beautiful flavours of the fruit. Mango season has just started here, so I had to start the season with this wonderful recipe. The sweet mangoes are complemented by the fresh pop of cherry tomatoes and crunchy carrots. The sprinkling of roasted fresh coconut is the magic in this salad. This light, fresh salad is beautiful on any summer table.

This cookbook is unique on my bookshelf; it brings me island flavours from the coasts of Africa and India, adding a new dimension. This bright and fun cookbook enhances my table with the cuisine and culture of the Maldives and the surrounding islands from this region. A mix of beautiful flavours from India and Africa with a tropical twist makes every dish in this book amazing.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons fresh grated coconut (frozen ok)

2 mangoes

2 carrots, cut into thin batons

15 cherry tomatoes, kept whole if small or cut in half longitudinally

A large handful of baby spinach leaves

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the dressing:

Juice of 1/2 lime, + more as needed

2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients and setting it aside until needed.

Toast the grated coconut in a dry pan over low heat until lightly browned and aromatic. Remove from the pan to stop cooking and set aside till needed.

Cut the mangoes longitudinally on the broad side. Gently cut the pulp into small squares and scoop them out, setting aside a cup of cubes. Save the cups for serving—more on cutting a mango can be found here.

In a large bow,l toss the mango pieces, carrots, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust salt as needed.

To serve, add the tomatoes and spinach to the mangoes and mix well. Drizzle in the dressing and toss again to combine well. Serve the salad loaded on the mango cups.