This refreshing and tasty Vietnamese green papaya salad reminds the sweet, sour, salty, spicy flavors of Vietnam! Goes really well with grilled meats.
What do you need to make green papaya salad?
Green Papaya: Green papaya is the base of the salad and when unripe, it is flavorless! But with salt and sugar, it becomes sweet and crispy and has a cucumber-like flavor.
Carrots: Carrots add a bit of sweetness, crunch and color to the salad
Herbs for freshness: I like to go with coriander and Thai basil or regular basil. You can also add a bit of mint to the mix.
Vinaigrette ingredients: The key to the vinaigrette is to give it a punch. You’re looking for the flavors of Vietnam with salty (fish sauce), spicy (Thai red chili), Lime juice (sour), sweet (sugar). Round this with some vegetable oil, shallots and garlic.
Garnish: sliced green onion and roasted peanuts for garnish adds another layer of flavor and crunch to the salad.
How to make it?
First things first, the perfect green papaya salad is done with the Vietnamese peeler and shredder. I bought this in Vietnam after seeing it used. It costs nothing and works so well! The best way to shred it gives a julienne like result vs. short shred.
You essentially peel your papaya and carrots and shred them. If you want to prepare the vegetables in advance, you can put them in cold water and it keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Make your vinaigrette and let it rest for a bit to let the flavors meld. You can keep it in the refrigerator if you with to make it in advance as well.
The salad looks really nice if you serve it by piling handfuls of the salad at an angle and then garnish with peanuts, green onion and chili.
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized green papaya
- 2 medium sized carrots
- 1 cup of coriander
- 1/4 cup, thai basil (or regular basil)
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 4 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 thai red chili, seeded and thinly sliced (reserve a bit for garnish)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Peel your green papaya and shred it in long strips.
- Peel your carrots and shred in long strips.
- Chop your coriander and basil roughly. Reserve a few leaves for garnish.
- Mix garlic, shallot, chili, lime juice, sugar, fish sauce and oil and let rest for a couple of minutes
- Roast your peanuts in a pan on low heat. Shake often so they don't burn.
- Mix the vegetables with the sauce.
- To serve, add portions on top of each other at an angle.
- Garnish with sliced chilis, peanuts and green onion.
Nutrition Information
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
