Papaya salad

This colourful spin on the classic Vietnamese papaya salad adds carrot into the mix, as well as fragrant lemongrass-grilled prawns.

Papaya salad Credit: One World Kitchen

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 green papaya
• 1 carrot
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tbsp coriander, chopped
• 1 tbsp mint, chopped
• 250 g cooked shrimp, grilled on lemongrass skewers
• Cashews, crushed (for garnish)

Nuoc mam

• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) hot water from kettle
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 red Thai chilli, finely sliced

Sitting time: 5-10 minutes

Instructions

1. To make the nuoc mam dressing, combine palm sugar, rice vinegar, and fish sauce in a small heatproof bowl. Pour hot water into bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool.
 
2. Peel the papaya and cut it into thin strips. Peel and grate the carrot. Fill a bowl with cold water and add salt. Add shredded papaya and carrot to the bowl. Leave to sit 5-10 minutes.
 
3. Mash garlic, chilli, and salt in a mortar and pestle. Add mashed garlic mixture and lime juice to the palm sugar mixture. Drain papaya and carrot and add to a separate bowl. Add shrimp, cilantro, and mint. Pour nuoc mam over top and toss to coat. 
 
4. Sprinkle with crushed cashews to garnish.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.