Mango, papaya and watermelon salad

Tom Kime says he was first served this vibrant fruit salad in south Vietnam. He loved the combination of spicy ginger, cooling mint, mouth-tingling citrus and sweet ripe tropical fruit. 

He comes up with plenty more delicious ways of incorporating and balancing hot, sour, salty and sweet flavours in his new book ‘Exploring Taste and Flavour (Simon and Schuster, $34.95)

Photo -  ‘Exploring Taste and Flavour', Simon and Schuster

What you need

2 ripe mangoes

1 ripe papaya

half watermelon

20 mint leaves

1 tablespoon white sugar

juice of 1 orange

2cm piece of fresh ginger

mango sorbet, to serve

What to do

With a sharp knife, top and tail the mango. Remove the skin without cutting away too much flesh. Cut the ripe flesh off the stone and then into equal-sized chunks (not too small, otherwise they turn to mush). Place the fruit in a large bowl.

Top and tail the papaya. Remove the skin as you did with the mango. Cut in half lengthways and remove all the black seeds with a teaspoon. Slice into equal-sized pieces, but a different size to the mango, to give a variation of shapes and colours.

Remove the skin from the watermelon and cut into segments. Remove the black seeds with the point of a knife. Cut into equal-sized lozenge-shaped pieces. Add to the bowl.

In a food processor, place the mint, sugar and ginger. Pulse until you have a smooth paste. Add the orange juice and work until you have a smooth dressing. Pour over the fruits and mix gently together. It is now ready to serve.

Serves 4

Text: Tom Kine