Binh Duong Province's chicken salad with mangosteen.

Lai Thieu area in Thuan An City, Binh Duong Province, accommodates vast mangosteen orchards. The harvesting season of the fruit lasts from April to June every year. In Binh Duong, aside from being a fruit, mangosteens are also an ingredient used to prepare different dishes. Arguably the most delicious among them is chicken salad with mangosteen, a dish which is favored by both locals and visitors.

A cook of this dish often prefers mangosteens that are not too ripe to ensure their flesh has the sourness and the sweetness he or she considers necessary. The fruit to be picked should also be quite chewy. Then, the cook must take great care while separating the mangosteen flesh from its hard and thick skin. It requires five kilograms of mangosteens to have a kilogram of the flesh.

According to some veteran restaurateurs in Binh Duong, chicken farms abound in the province, which raise free-range chickens whose meat tastes much better. In addition, the flavor of chicken meat perfectly matches the taste of the mangosteen flesh. According to food connoisseurs, the combination of chicken and mangosteen in the specialty makes it more delectable than pork or beef.

Other ingredients needed for the salad include sliced carrots and onions, roasted peanuts, and Vietnamese corianders. The colors of all these render the dish more eye-catching. Finally, the sauce varies from one restaurant to another in accordance with the owners’ secret recipes. 

Food lovers can enjoy the dish at restaurants and eateries in Binh Duong’s Thu Dau Mot and Thuan An cities. There, diners may choose mangosteens themselves and learn the art of making the salad.

Source: Saigon Times

Vietnamese food: Chicken salad with mangosteen

Often referred to as the 'queen of tropical fruits', mangosteen is sweet, sour, juicy and ripes in the summer. In the south of Vietnam it is used in chicken salad, giving the dish a whole new taste sensation. 

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