Spusht: Sweet, Sour, and Spicy Mango and Strawberry Salad Recipe

When my mom came to stay with us after my delivery to help us with our babies, she also cooked a full meal for lunch and dinner so we could eat healthy and fresh food every day. The full meal basically consisted of roti, curry, rice, dal, and salad, and once in a while there were desserts. She made several kinds of salads and the best part was that there were no fancy salad dressings needed.

One such salad was this simple, delicious, sweet sour and spicy Mango and Strawberry Salad.

We're fortunate Alok and I had our mothers coming over to help take care of our babies, of the house, handle the cooking, and spend time with us. I talked to a few American nurses during my hospital visits and they said their mothers and mother-in-laws come assist for only a few weeks at a time and they're on their own after that. Whereas Indians are lucky their parents come over to help for so many months.

I have heard debates over how it is unfair to expect old parents to come to America and do so much work while it is our responsibility to manage our household, children, and all the chores. In my opinion, if they're fit and fine and were doing similar chores back in India why not here? When everyone chips in and becomes a helping hand at home, everyone gets more time on hands and everyone is happy.

So with us, mother-in-law and my mom were happy spending time with their grandchildren and I was happy with the way they helped us with everything and cooked finger-licking delicious food and shared some great recipes. Here's one of them.

Mango and Strawberry Salad
My mother's recipe
Yield: 2-3 people

1 cup sweet and sour raw mango (kairi) or sweet ripe mango (aam), chopped or julienne
1 cup strawberries, chopped or sliced
½ cup roasted peanuts, gently crushed
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped

Add to taste:
Few drops soy sauce (½ tsp)
Few drops of lemon juice (¼ tsp)
Red chili powder (¼ tsp)
Sugar (1 tsp)

Just mix everything together and adjust to your taste, and your Mango and Strawberry Salad is ready. It's as simple as that.

The tender and sweet mango, the juicy and sweet strawberries, the crunch of roasted peanuts, and the vibrant yellow-red-green colors that mango-strawberry-cilantro add to this simple Mango and Strawberry Salad is amazing.

Moreover, the balance of sweetness from the sugar, saltiness from the surprising ingredient soy sauce, sourness from mango, strawberries, and lemon juice, and the spiciness from red chili powder gives an explosion of different flavors in each bite.