How to Make Vietnamese Papaya and Carrot Salad
A guide on how to make a crunchy and delicious papaya and carrot salad, along with the perfect fish sauce dressing recipe for a balanced sweet and sour flavor.
Ingredients
- 500g green papaya
- 100g carrot
- 70g peanuts
- A handful of Vietnamese mint
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1-2 chili peppers
- 1 lime
- Coarse salt
- Vinegar
- Sugar
Instructions
Preparing the Ingredients
Peel the papaya, wash it, and shred it into thin strips. Do the same with the carrot. Since papaya contains sap that can make it bitter, soak the shredded papaya in a bowl of water mixed with coarse salt. Similarly, soak the carrot in salt water to reduce its sharp taste. Soak for about 10 minutes, then rinse and drain.
Next, place the papaya and carrot in a large bowl, add 1 tablespoon of sugar, and mix well. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes, then rinse again with clean water and squeeze out the excess liquid. The sugar helps soften the papaya and carrot, removing any harshness and making them crispier.
After squeezing out the moisture, fluff the papaya and carrot, then wrap and store them in the refrigerator to keep them cool and crisp.
Pick the fresh leaves of Vietnamese mint, wash them with salt water, and coarsely chop them.
Wash the chili peppers and finely chop them. If you can't handle spicy food, you can use a milder chili variety.
Peel and finely chop the garlic.
Roast the peanuts until golden, let them cool, then remove the skins and coarsely crush them.
Making the Papaya Salad Dressing
For the above amount of papaya and carrot, mix the dressing with the following ratio: 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 6 tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoons of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and 1/4 tablespoon of coarse salt. Stir well until the sugar and salt dissolve. You can also add a bit of ground pepper to enhance the flavor.
Tossing the Papaya Salad
First, pour 2/3 of the dressing into the bowl with the papaya and carrot. Toss well and let the ingredients absorb the flavors for about 3-4 minutes, then drain the excess dressing.
Next, add 2/3 of the Vietnamese mint and crushed peanuts, pour the remaining dressing over, and gently toss until everything is evenly coated. At this step, be sure to drain any excess dressing.
Transfer the salad to a serving plate, sprinkle the remaining Vietnamese mint and peanuts on top, and you're done!
Thanks to careful preparation, the green papaya salad is very crisp, and the dressing has the perfect balance of flavors, making it irresistibly delicious. This refreshing dish is great for reducing meal fatigue, so Cookbeo highly recommends adding it to your family menu. It's also quick and easy to make, with ingredients that are easy to find, making it ideal for busy individuals.
In addition to this version, you can also add other ingredients to create variations like dried beef papaya salad or jellyfish papaya salad.
