← Nouns Cooking · Vietnamese

Ingredients

• 500 g Green (unripe) papaya, peeled, seeded and shredded into long strands
• 100 g Vietnamese beef jerky (khô bò), torn into thin strips
• 1 bunch Thai basil, leaves picked, larger ones torn
• 50 g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar or white vinegar
• 3 tbsp Water
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1 Bird's eye chilli, minced (or a squeeze of sriracha)

Method

1. Stir the sugar into the vinegar and water until dissolved, then add the soy sauce, garlic and chilli.
2. Rinse the shredded papaya in a bowl of iced water, then drain and squeeze it dry in a clean towel. This makes it extra crisp and takes away any sap.
3. Just before serving, toss the papaya and most of the basil with three-quarters of the dressing.
4. Pile onto a plate, top with the beef jerky, the rest of the basil and the peanuts, and spoon the remaining dressing over. Eat straight away while it crunches.

Tips

• Soy sauce contains wheat; use tamari for a gluten-free salad.
• For a vegetarian version, swap the jerky for strips of fried tofu. Contains peanuts.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Vicky Pham Hungry Huy