My job is to match pregnant mamas with doulas that they will love, who will carry the honour of being with the woman and her family during birth with care and attention and love. Every so often, I get to match myself with a family, reminding me of why I cherish this work and how much I have to learn from the power of birthing women.
This spring I had the good fortune of working with a chef and her lovely family. We communicated through words and food, with me bringing her a fortifying traditional Ethiopian postpartum dish just after she birthed, and she making me and my family an exquisite Thai meal a few weeks later.
Though the whole meal was delicious, this salad stayed on my mind for many weeks to come, until I finally asked for the recipe. It is beguilingly simple, and yet I think the combination of salty fish sauce, earthy peanut, and sugar – there had to be sugar, didn’t there? – gives this salad an addictive quality that is very un-salad-like in nature.
There aren’t many things aside from cookie dough and leftover cream cheese icing that would have me cradling the bowl in front of the open refrigerator, taking one last spoonful….just one last spoonful….one last spoonful.
- 4 small mangos, peeled and cubed
- 3/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- Large handful each cilantro & mint, minced
- 1/4 cup of peanuts, ground
- Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Garnish with leftover whole peanuts or cashews.
