Tropical side dishes

I've been wanting to post some tropical side dishes that work amazingly well with hot, spicy (Asian) fish dishes. We often eat mango salsa with Mexican fish tacos, too. I love fruit in dinners! It adds another spectrum to the flavours (fresh, sweet, tangy, ahh..). Here are some favs:

Stir-fried pineapple

Ingredients
- 1 fresh pineapple, 'peeled' and cored, cut into pieces
- 1 Thai red chilli
- 2 cloves of garlic
- a piece of ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (I used light)
- 1-2 tbsp sugar (I used soft brown sugar)
- 2 tbsp roasted unsalted nuts (I used peanuts)
- 1 lime, wedged

Method
Heat a pan, and some vegetable oil (I used canola). Stir-fry the garlic, ginger and chilli until they start to colour. Add the pieces of pineapple and stir-fry them too until they start to change colour. Mix the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar, and add it to the pineapple mixture. Keep stir-frying until it starts to caramelize. Serve on a plate with the roast nuts sprinkled over them, and wedges of lime on the side. Especially good with hot fish dishes (like stir-fried squid), and rice.


A borrowed pic of mango salsa - will upload my own soon!

Mango salsa

Ingredients
- 1 mango, peeled and cubed
- 2 spring onions
- At least 1 Thai red chilli
- Half a red onion
- A piece of cucumber
- Lime juice of one lime
- Thai fish sauce (nam pla), to taste
- Some palm sugar or sweet chilli sauce (1 tbsp-ish)
- Some fresh coriander
- Roasted, unsalted peanuts (chopped)

Method
Cut-up the mango, spring onions, chilli, red onion* and cucumber place in a bowl. Mix the liquids for the dressing, also add the coriander, finely chopped. If you're using sweet chilli sauce - don't add too much as it will take over the taste. You just want it slightly sweetened (so palm sugar or brown sugar might be a better way to go - honey is a good idea, too!). When serving, sprinkle with freshly roasted, unsalted peanuts. Really good with fried panko-crumbed fish.