How to Make Vietnamese Duck Salad (Gỏi Vịt)

Prepare the Duck

Rub the duck with coarse salt, white wine, and crushed ginger to clean and remove the odor. Rinse the duck thoroughly.

Next, fill a pot with water, add a few slices of crushed fresh ginger, and bring to a boil. Once the water is fully boiling, add the duck to cook. This method will result in crispy duck skin.

The duck takes around 20-25 minutes to cook, depending on the size and age of the duck. You can check if it's done by piercing the thigh with a chopstick; if no pink juices come out, the duck is cooked.

Once done, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the duck sit for another 5-10 minutes before removing. Once cooled, debone the duck and either shred or slice the meat. For skin-on pieces, slice them thinly for a more appealing presentation, similar to how you would prepare chicken pho or vermicelli salad.

Prepare the Other Ingredients

Soak cucumbers in salted water, then rinse thoroughly, drain, and julienne. Remove the seeds if desired. Keeping the skin on will make the cucumbers crunchier, but ensure they are well washed.

Peel and julienne the carrots and kohlrabi similarly to the cucumbers.

After julienning the cucumbers, carrots, and kohlrabi, soak them in a bowl of salted water for 5-6 minutes. This will help keep the vegetables firm and crunchy. Drain and rinse thoroughly before setting aside to dry.

Thinly slice the purple cabbage, similar to how you would for a vegetable salad. Since purple cabbage can release color, soak it in a separate bowl of salted water. After rinsing, mix it with the cucumber, carrot, and kohlrabi.

If you're using papaya, peel and deseed it, then rinse well before julienning. As green papaya contains sap and has a slightly bitter taste, soak the julienned papaya in salted water for 10 minutes. Afterward, rinse, mix with 2 tablespoons of sugar, let sit for 5-10 minutes, and then rinse again. Squeeze dry and fluff the papaya to make it ready for the salad.

Wash and roughly chop the herbs. Soak the bean sprouts in salted water and set aside to drain.

Peel and finely mince the garlic. Rinse the ginger thoroughly; adding ginger to the salad gives it a fragrant and warming touch.

Wash and mince the hot chili. For the red chili, remove the seeds and slice thinly.

Roast the peanuts until golden brown, let cool, remove the skins, and roughly crush them.

Make the Duck Salad Dressing

For the amount of ingredients listed, place 1/4 teaspoon of coarse salt in a mortar and grind. Add garlic, chili, and ginger, and crush them together. Transfer this mixture to a bowl.

Add about 5.5 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 4 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1 full tablespoon of lime juice. Stir well until all ingredients are combined.

Don't worry if the dressing seems sweet; when mixed with the salad, the excess liquid will be drained.

Assemble the Duck Salad

First, add 1 tablespoon of the salad dressing to the shredded duck. Mix well with 1/3 teaspoon of ground pepper and let the meat absorb the flavors for about 5 minutes.

Next, place all the julienned vegetables (cucumber, kohlrabi, carrot, purple cabbage, and bean sprouts) in a large bowl. Add the duck and pour in 2/3 of the dressing. Gently toss to combine the ingredients, letting them absorb the dressing for 5 minutes.

Afterward, drain any excess liquid, then add the remaining dressing along with 2/3 of the herbs and crushed peanuts. Toss again and drain any remaining liquid.

Finally, transfer the duck salad to a serving plate, sprinkle with the remaining herbs and crushed peanuts, and enjoy.