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Vietnamese

Gỏi Đu Đủ (Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad)

A crunchy Vietnamese green papaya salad with prawns, pork, herbs, fish-sauce lime dressing, and roasted peanuts.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 7 September 2026Updated

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Gỏi Đu Đủ (Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad)

35 mintotal

Prep 25 min · Cook 10 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Easy
Spice
Mild
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Poaching the prawns and pork is most of it, and both can be done well ahead. The salad itself is only assembled once everything is cool.

Method

  1. Poach the prawns in simmering water until just opaque and firm, then cool and halve lengthwise.

  2. Cook the pork slices in simmering water until fully cooked, then cool and slice into thin strips.

  3. Whisk fish sauce, lemon juice, sugar, garlic, green chilli, and salt until the sugar dissolves.

  4. Toss raw papaya, carrot, prawns, pork, mint, and coriander with the dressing.

  5. Finish with crushed roasted groundnuts just before serving.

How to tell it's done

The papaya should stay crunchy, the prawns firm, and the dressing bright, salty, sweet, and sour.

Getting it right

Tip

Keep the papaya cold and crisp before tossing; it should not sit too long in the dressing.

What to serve it with

Serve as a fresh starter, light lunch, or side dish with rice or grilled meats.

Common mistakes

The salad sits in a pool of dressing.
Green papaya and carrot release water once salted. Toss them with the dressing no more than ten minutes before serving, or salt and drain them first and dress at the table.
The dressing tastes harshly of fish sauce.
Sugar and lime are what round it off. Whisk until the sugar has fully dissolved and taste before it goes on the salad — the balance should be sour first, then salty, then sweet.

Substitutions

  • Use only prawns and omit the pork for a seafood-forward version; the filling will be lighter and less rich.
  • Use cucumber strips if Raw Papaya is unavailable, though the dish will no longer have the same classic texture.
  • Omit Groundnuts for a peanut-free version; the dish will have less crunch and nuttiness.
  • Fish Sauce contains fish and Prawns contain shellfish; keep allergen review unverified until product labels are checked.

Storing and reheating

Best the day it is made. The dressed salad keeps a few hours in the fridge but loses its crunch. If you want to prepare ahead, keep the shredded papaya, the cooked prawns and pork, and the dressing in separate containers for up to two days, and add the peanuts only at the end.