Green Mango offers a Thai treat
Ling Robinson says she falls in love with her customers all the time at The Green Mango in Wilkins.
"I believe in my customers, and they believe in me," says Robinson, 43, a native of Thailand who has lived in Pittsburgh since 1991. "I provide them with the best food I can make. I want every customer to keep coming back."
If Robinson's culinary skills are any indication, her customers will return time and time again. Robinson, a petite and amiable woman who co-owns the Thai restaurant with husband Mark Robinson, shops in the Strip District and at local farms daily for fresh produce and meats. Her job in Thailand, as a young girl, was to go to the market every day before school for her family's meals.
"We always use fresh vegetables," she says. "I've been cooking for my family since I was 14. It's a tradition that Thai women cook for their families."
Thai food is characterized by sweet, salty, spicy and sour tastes -- all in the same dish. Rice is a staple in Thai food. It's included in every meal, every day.
"We make our own rice cereal in the morning," Ling says. "It's like grits or oatmeal, with different flavors. Some are sweet, some are sour."
The Green Mango, along William Penn Highway in The Shoppes at Penn Center East, opened in July. There is a Green Mango Noodle Hut in Regent Square, and the couple had another location Downtown, but they sold it.
Ling is the head chef, and her sister, Kop Fulli, is another chef who works with her. They also have two assistant chefs.
The 50-seat restaurant is bathed in warm hues of green, yellow and orange, with beautiful Thai artwork hanging on the walls. The place stays busy, serving about 150 dinners a night on weekends. The owners picked the name The Green Mango because young, green mangos are a popular treat in Thailand, says Mark, 42.
"You slice them like chips, then dip them in a sweet, sour and spicy sauce," he says. "It's a favorite snack in Thailand. There are 173 varieties of mangos. When they come in season, we sell so much of them."
Mark originally is from Vietnam but was adopted by an American family as a baby and moved to Philadelphia.
"I never had an Asian dish until I was in high school," he says with a chuckle.
Mark and Ling met while they were working at Thai Place in Shadyside -- he as a bartender and she as a waitress.
"It's ironic -- I never wanted to own a restaurant, because it's such tough work," Mark says. "But we make sure our customers are happy when they leave."
Soups are popular at The Green Mango, and there are several to choose from. Vegetarian entrees sell very well, too. Tofu is an ingredient in many of the restaurant's dishes, and curry is a favorite spice. Mark describes the restaurant's cuisine as "an exciting fusion of traditional ingredients with modern-day grilling."
"Ling is such a good cook, we wanted to share her cooking with everybody," he says.
His wife smiles at the compliment.
"I want to continue to be a success," she says. "There are other Thai restaurants, and we all help each other. I helped them open their restaurants -- I give the opportunity to others."
The most important part of their business, they both believe, is the customer.
"Ling treats her customers like family," Mark says. "A typical Thai meal consists of going to the market, buying the ingredients fresh, and then fixing it.
"While you're eating it, you talk about the next meal. Food is very important in Thai culture."
Ling is writing a Thai cookbook called "Recipes From Home" that is due in the spring.
"It's a very simple book," she says. "We are even going to have mail order from The Green Mango, where we will pack up the ingredients and send them to your home."
Ling Robinson chose to share her Noodle Hut Special spicy soup with Cooking Class. It is a delectable Tom Yum soup with fried garlic, rice noodles and many other ingredients.
Some of the more unusual ingredients can be found at Asian markets in the Strip District, such as Lotus Noodle Company, Asian Foods and Wing Fat Hong. You also can buy Tom Yum paste at Wing Fat Hong, which can be mixed with water to create the broth.
• 1 cup dry rice noodles
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 3 ounces chicken, cut into pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic chile oil
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Tom Yum broth ( see recipe )
• Water
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 chopped stems of cilantro
• 1/4 cup minced green onion
Soak the rice noodles in warm water for 20 to 25 minutes.
In a soup pan, heat the vegetable oil and saute the chopped garlic on medium-high heat. When the garlic turns brown, add the chicken pieces (see Photo 1 ) and turn the heat down to medium.
Add the garlic chile oil and coconut milk ( Photo 2 ). Mix well and add to the Tom Yum broth. Turn the heat down to low, and cook for another five minutes.
In another pan, boil 4 cups of water. Add the soaked rice noodles and boil for 1 minute. Rinse the noodles in cold water and strain.
Separate the noodles into two serving bowls. Place 1/2 cup bean sprouts in each bowl.
Add the cilantro and the green onion to the Tom Yum broth ( Photo 3 ). Turn off the heat, pour the Tom Yum broth into the bowls ( Photo 4 ), and serve.
Makes 2 servings.
• 1/2 teaspoon chicken or vegetable stock
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce (Ling prefers Squid brand)
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 2 fresh Thai chile peppers (a very hot variety of pepper), smashed
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic chile oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Knorr brand tamarind soup base
• 1 stem lemongrass, 3 to 4 inches long, smashed and cut into pieces
• 1 piece whole galangal root, medium size, smashed
• 4 kaffir leaves (frozen or dried), twisted
• 4 pieces cilantro root, smashed
• 2 stems of cilantro, chopped
• 1 medium whole yellow onion, peeled and sliced
Heat the water in a soup pan on high heat. When it begins to boil, add the remaining ingredients and return to a boil. Turn down to medium heat and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Additional Information:
The Green Mango
Cuisine: Contemporary Thai
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon-8 p.m. Sundays
Entree price range: $9-$16
Notes: BYOB with no corkage fee. Handicapped accessible. MasterCard and Visa accepted.
Address: Penn Center East, 3462 William Penn Highway, Wilkins
Details: 412-824-9500 or Web site
