curried mango jicama salad

before i tell you about this salad, i should probably tell you that in the minute and a half it took me to upload pictures from my camera, i polished off most of a four ounce jar of homemade jam.

this jam was different from other jams i've made, because i busted out the big guns--specifically, pectin. and you know what? i totally regretted it. maybe i mixed it incorrectly or something, but all of a sudden i had jam jello. jam that, after having cooled overnight, could be turned upside down in its jar without budging. a textural waste of wonderful summer fruit that was more than capable of doing all the talking without being imprisoned in an eerily perfect cylinder of silly putty.
but, textural dubiousness aside, it's delicious. i can't give it away to friends as i had hoped, but i sure can eat it. with a spoon. with or without bread.

anyway--this salad. another one inspired by mark bittman's well-worn list, a print-out of which will be stuck on my fridge promptly upon my return to portland (in a month!): jicama, a staple vegetable for me this summer, paired with radish and mango tossed in a lightly sweet, creamy curried dressing. when making salads that aren't for dessert, i like to use mangoes that aren't entirely ripe. not rock-hard, but not super-yielding, drippy messes either. this way they produce less juice, meaning your salad won't be overly-syrupy, and the mango chunks will be firmer and more capable of standing up to a tossing or maybe even some quality refrigerator time.

mango jicama salad with coconut curry dressing
serves 3 as a side

• 1 large, firmish mango (see above)
• 1/2 of a large jicama
• 4-5 medium radishes
• juice of 1 small lime
• 3-5 tbsp full-fat coconut milk (stir the whole container well before using)
• 8 basil leaves, very finely chopped (mint could be very good too)
  
• 1/4 tsp curry powder, or to taste*
• salt and crushed red pepper to taste

*i used a really wonderful ras el hanout "aux roses"; use whatever curry or spice blend you like

peel and dice mango and jicama. sliver radishes and add to mango and jicama in a large bowl.

in a small bowl, combine lime juice, coconut milk, basil or mint, curry powder, salt and red pepper. stir well, taste, and adjust. toss with mango mixture. taste and adjust a final time for seasonings. serve as is or refrigerate for an hour or so, tossing before serving.