VIETNAMESE GREEN PAPAYA SALAD
A northern Vietnamese favourite, this salad pairs crunchy julienned strips of firm-fleshed unripe papaya with a sweet and spicy dressing. Look for green papayas at Asian markets or specialty produce markets. The flesh should be firm, not soft or mushy.
This Vietnamese green papaya salad really gives you the taste of the orient. Don’t be put off by the lengthy list of ingredients as the result really is worthwhile. It serves four people.
Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad
Ingredients:
- 750g green papaya
- 4 spring onions, very finely julienned
- Half a white radish, very finely julienned
- 12 leaves of Asian mint
- 12 leaves of Thai basil (or regular basil)
- Half a small bunch of coriander, leaves only
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsps dried shrimp or crushed peanuts
- Extra Thai basil and Asian mint leaves, to garnish
For the dressing:
- Quarter of a tsp of shrimp paste
- 2 tbsps boiling water
- 3 tbsps rice vinegar
- 3 tbsps lime juice
- 2 tbsps fish sauce
- 2 tbsps sugar
- 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
Method:
- Finely julienne the papaya and toss with the finely julienned spring onions, white radish, chopped fresh herbs and garlic.
- To make the dressing, dilute the shrimp paste in 2 tablespoons boiling water, then whisk with all the other dressing ingredients. If the sauce is a little too acidic, add a little extra water as required to dilute the flavour to your taste. Continue whisking until the dressing is well mixed.
- Toss the dressing through the papaya/vegetable mixture, taking care to disperse the dressing thoroughly. Pile on a plate and sprinkle with peanuts or dried shrimp. Garnish with Thai basil and Asian mint.
This avocado, mango and papaya salad is lovely and fresh and superb served on a hot day. It goes really well with barbecues. The following ingredients serve four.
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VIETNAMESE GREEN PAPAYA SALAD
A refreshing and unusual salad made with shredded green papaya, it stands alone or takes such additions as cooked prawns or beef jerky to turn it in to a main dish.
- 1 large ripe tomato, cut in to wedges.
- 1 green papaya (500 g/1 lb), coarsely grated to yield 3 cups.
- 1 small carrot, coarsely grated to yield 3 cups.
- 1 small carrot, coarsely grated to yield 1 cup.
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves.
- Sprigs of mint leaves, to garnish.
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice.
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce.
- 1 talespoon sugar.
- 2 cloves garlic, minced.
- 1 finger-length chili, deseeded and sliced.
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, dry-roasted for about 10 minutes over low heat until browned.
- Combine the Dressing ingredients in a large bowl and mix until the sugar is dissolved, then add all the other ingredients (except sprigs of mint leaves) and toss well to combine.
- Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with the mint leaves and serve immediately
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Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky
Goi Du Du Bo Kho
Vietnamese green papaya salad comes in two guises and one of them features earthy beef jerky and heady Thai basil (hung que). The other version of green papaya salad is southern Viet and has shrimp, pork and rau ram herb; the recipe is in Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. A northern Viet favorite, green papaya salad made with beef jerky includes slivers of smoked liver and on occasion, lung too. In Hanoi's Old Quarter, I recall a little street full of green papaya salad vendors. I’ve never had the lung in salads in the U.S. Both the jerky and liver are a tad chewy, the liver adding a slight minerally quality to the salad. It’s no great shakes. If you lived in Little Saigon, you’d go to the Vietnamese-Chinese jerky store for the beef and the liver. Or you like I did last week. In my kitchen, I omit the liver and the salad is just fine.
To dress Vietnamese green papaya salad, you have two options. One is a fish sauce and lime dressing. The other features soy sauce and vinegar. The former yields a salad that is lighter in taste and appearance that the latter. At places like the Asian Garden Mall food court in Orange County’s Little Saigon, it’s common to see the soy dressing. If you watched the movie, Scent of Green Papaya, the dressing is the fish sauce one. Regardless of your dressing, you can serve the salad pre-dressed or with the dressing on the side. Because the soy dressing turns the pale celadon green papaya a sad brown color, I like to let guests dress their own salad. The recipe below employs the soy sauce dressing.
An important part of this salad is to have the papaya crunchy, and Viet cooks can soak the shredded papaya in a slaked lime-and-water solution. I prefer the old fashioned method of squeezing on the shreds, which renders the papaya dryish so that once the dressing is poured on, the papaya soaks up all the flavors like a sponge. See if you're not familiar with the Southeast Asian ingredient.
Serves 4 to 6
Dressing:
2 tablespoons regular (light) soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons or 1 or 2 Thai or serrano chiles, finely chopped
1 green papaya, about 2 pounds
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 ounces or Asian-style beef jerky, cut into strips with scissors to match papaya pieces (about 1 cup total)
1/4 cup shredded fresh Thai basil leaves
1. To make either dress dressing, in a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients, stirring until the sugar dissolves. If guests are chile heat sensitive, leave the Sriracha out and serve some on the side. Set the dressing aside to develop the flavors.
2. Peel the papaya with a vegetable peeler and then cut off the stem. Halve the papaya lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut each half lengthwise into quarters, and then use a knife (or grapefruit knife or melon baller) to remove the thin white layer lining the cavity. Using a Japanese Benriner slicer or a food processor fitted with the largest shredder blade, shred the papaya pieces. Aim for thin strands about 1/16 inch thick, no more than 3/16 inch wide, and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long (about the size of the shredded mozzarella you put on a pizza).
3. Put the shredded papaya in a colander, add the sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and use both hands to massage the sugar and salt vigorously into the papaya. After a few minutes, the papaya will be a little slimy and limp yet still firm. At that point, rinse it under lots of cold running water to remove the salt and sugar.
4. Working in batches, wring out excess moisture from the papaya in a nonterry dish towel: position a mound of the papaya in the center, roll it up in the towel, and then twist the ends in opposite directions to force out the liquid. Do this 3 or 4 times. You want to extract enough water from the papaya yet not completely crush it. Transfer the papaya to a large bowl and fluff it up to release it from its cramped state.
5. Just before serving, add the beef jerky and Thai basil to the green papaya and toss to distribute evenly. At home, I normally pour on about 3/4 of the dressing, toss and taste, adding more dressing as needed. Or, serve the dressing on the side and invite guests to dress their own salad.
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VIETNAMESE LOTUS STEM SALAD
Gỏi Ngó Sen Tôm Thịt – Vietnamese Lotus Stem Salad with Prawns and Pork
Ingredients
400g lotus stem
400g prawns
100g pork neck
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1 carrot, julienned
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoon white vinegar
pinch salt
handful of Vietnamese mint leaves (rau răm), coarsely chopped
handful of mint, coarsely chopped
fried shallot
roughly chopped peanuts
prawn crackers
Method
Prepare the FISH SAUCE DIPPING SAUCE
Softening and pickling the carrot is optional (I prefer mine with less crunch). In a small bowl, add vinegar, sugar and a pinch. Add the julienned carrot and mix well. Set aside.
Cook the pork neck and then slice thinly.
Cook the prawns and de-shell and de-veined (leave tail on prawns for presentation is optional).
Rinse the lotus stem. If lotus stem is not already cut in about 7cm in length then cut them. I prefer the lotus stem in thin strips, so slice the lotus stem 1/2 (or even 1/4) lengthways. Once the lotus stem are sliced, squeeze out the water from the lotus by using a muslin cloth.
Drain the vinegar mixture from the carrot by using a muslin cloth and squeeze out all the water.
In a large bowl, combine lotus root, red onion, carrot, mint leaves, prawns and pork. Give all the ingredients a gentle toss.
Turn out to a serving platter. Garnish with crushed peanuts and fried shallots. Pour some fish sauce dipping sauce onto the salad and serve with prawn crackers.
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