Vietnamese Green Papaya & Prawn Salad
This light, refreshing, crunchy salad is a popular snack or street food usually served in small quantities throughout Vietnam and always reminds of a beautiful movie I once saw, The Scent of Green Papaya.
A vegetarian version, made with fried tofu, was served at the Tet Fair Celebration which I attended at the Mountain Springs Monastery.
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
If you have a mandoline with a grater attachment, use it to shred the green papaya.
The Vietnamese like to eat thin slices of sweet dried pork or beef with it.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 1/2 green papaya 250g, peeled and seeded
- ripe tomatoes, 2, quartered and seeded
- cooked baby prawns 125g, peeled and cleaned
- freshly chopped herbs (such as coriander, Vietnamese mint, basil) 1/4 – 1/2 cup
- freshly roasted peanuts 1/4 cup, crushed
Dressing
- water 125ml (1/2 cup)
- white wine vinegar (or fresh lime juice) 2 tablespoons
- fish sauce 1 tablespoon
- caster sugar 3-4 teaspoons
- garlic 1 clove, peeled and crushed
- small red chilli 1, seeded and finely chopped
Grate the papaya into long thin shreds (best way is with a mandoline with grater attachment). Slice the tomato skins thinly. Toss together with the shredded papaya, prawns and herbs. Season with the dressing – it should taste sweet/sour. Sprinkle over the crushed peanuts.
For the Dressing: dissolve the sugar in the white wine vinegar then stir in the water, fish sauce, garlic and chill.
Pile the salad up on a serving platter and garnish with plenty of fresh herbs.