You guys asked for more salads, so there you go! And more are coming!
It might not be summer yet, it's getting warmer and I'm craving lighter and greener dishes these days. Here comes this super fresh papaya salad that is packed with raw crunchy veggies, roasted peanuts, fried onions, and a citrucy lime dressing.
This salad takes just a few minutes to prepare, no baking or cooking required. You chop the vegetables, mix in the dressing and it's ready.
Instead of using green papaya that is not very sweet and a bit hard to find, I went with orange papaya to add freshness as well as sweetness. It goes very well with the slightly spicy lime dressing that brings even more freshness. For more flavor, we have herbs: cilantro, and mint.
The dressing is citrusy, sweet, and a bit spicy thanks to the addition of chili paste. I went with sambal badjak which is a bit spicier than sambal oelek. You can use your favorite chili sauce or paste here: sriracha, harissa, or even some gochujang will make good substitutes.
This salad is refreshing, crunchy, packed with flavor, and very easy to make.
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Easy Vietnamese Papaya Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 1 cup cabbage shredded
- ½ cup red peppers sliced
- ¼ of a medium papaya sliced
- 2 cups lettuce or other greens, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint lightly packed
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro lightly packed
- toppings: ¼ cup fried onions and ¼ cup roasted peanuts
Dressing
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- ⅛ teaspoon sambal badjak or other chili paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare all the veggies: shred the carrots and cabbage using a grater, or a food processor using the shredding tool. Slice the red bell pepper and papaya, and roughly chop the lettuce.
- Add all the vegetables to a large mixing bowl and add the mint and cilantro.
- Prepare the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, maple syrup, oil, garlic, chili paste, and salt. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir to coat.
- Serve topped with fried onions and roasted peanuts. Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate for one hour before serving.
Omg, this salad look incredible! I'm definitely adding it to my to-try list!
Thanks Tori!
This looks delicious and easy to make. When I can find green papaya, I will make this.
Actually, this salad doesn't use green papaya, I went for the ripe one for a subtle sweetness. It's not a traditional Vietnamese recipe but still tastes great 🙂
This is inspired Vietnamese papaya salad. A papaya salad is made of shredded green papaya(Vietnamese, Laotian or Thai papaya salad)
That is correct Kim! 🙂
I also love green papaya salad, but this recipe is quite different as it makes use of a ripe one (easier to find here).
A really delicious recipe, thanks Thomas! It’s fresh, sweet, crunchy and wonderfully light. Well balanced with the lime juice. I used sambal oelek in the dressing as that’s what I had on hand, and included some cold, fried tofu leftover from the previous days’ Vietnamese noodle salad. Yum!
Thanks Karen! 🙂
Can you tell me how to make the fried onions - or did you just use
The ones in a can???
It depends, sometimes I buy them at the store (in a container), or I make them. To make fried onions, heat about 1/2 cup of oil in a deep saucepan. Once hot, add thinly minced onions and fry for a couple of minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel to remove excess oil.