Millet Mango Peanut Salad
Serves 4 as an entree salad or side
A hearty, fresh grain and fruit salad to serve alongside African-ish dishes, starring millet, something I don’t eat enough but really should. This salad is best consumed the day it’s made.
Tip: Slicing a ripe mango is best done with a thin, slightly flexible but very sharp serrated knife. Place knife about 3/4 of an inch from the nubby “stem” and balance the other end of the mango on a cutting board. The idea is to cut alongside the flat wide seed of the mango (that runs almost the whole length of the fruit) and cut off a large a slab of mango as possible while avoiding the seed. Using a gentle sawing motion cut through the mango flesh; if you encounter resistance you’re probably cutting into the seed. No worries, just shift your knife slightly and continue slicing until you’ve removed one side of the mango.
Continue with the other side for another mango half. Then trim around the exposed seed to remove remaining flesh and remove skin (but not from the halves). For diced mango, run the tip of the knife in strips about 1/4 inch apart through one of the mango halves, taking care not to cut through the skin. Then slice parallel lines the same width apart making a grid across the mango. Now for the magic trick: grab the opposite edges of the mango half and push the skin underneath. You should now have lots of perfect little mango cubes that can be gently peeled or sliced away from the skin. Repeat with the remaining side, and dice those little side strips into cubes. Now suck on the juicy mango pit, you’ve earned it.
For the millet:
1 teaspoon grapeseed or other vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked millet
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water
For the salad:
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil or grapeseed oil1/2 teaspoon favorite prepared habeñero hot sauce or big pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large red onion, minced
1 large red ripe tomatoes, core removed and diced
1 ripe mango, diced (see tip above)
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts
Garnish, optional: Thinly shredded red cabbage
1. In a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid saute millet with the vegetable oil over medium heat for 3 minutes or until millet starts to turn a light golden color. Add cumin seeds and saute another minute, then add salt and boiling water. Bring millet to a boil, stir a few times and turn heat to low. Cover and cook for 22-24 minutes or until all of the liquid had been absorbed and the millet is fluffy and tender. Remove lid, gently stir with a fork and let cool for 20 minutes.
2. In a large bowl whisk together lime juice, oil and salt. Stir in sliced red onion and let stand for 10 minutes while you prepare the other veggies, then add tomato, mango, cilantro, peanuts and cooled millet. Use a large wooden spoon to stir everything together and cover with dressing, then mound into a wide serving bowl and serve immediately. If using cabbage, scatter top of salad with a handful of very thin shreds.
Variation: For a full meal serve topped with any baked tofu or roasted seitan
