Green Papaya Salad (Nộm Đu Đủ)
Crisp shredded green papaya and carrot tossed with juicy sliced pork, dried shrimp, roasted peanuts and herbs in a tangy, sweet-salty-spicy fish sauce dressing. Loud, fresh and endlessly moreish.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Salt the papaya
Put the julienned papaya in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and massage with your hands for a minute, then let it sit for 10 minutes. Rinse well under cold water and squeeze handfuls dry with a clean towel. This step pulls out the bitter juices and firms up the strands so they stay crunchy, not watery, once dressed.
- 600 g green papaya
- 1 tbsp salt
✅ Done when: the papaya smells fresh (not bitter) and feels dry and crisp, not wet
Boil the pork
Put the pork in a small pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 12–15 minutes until cooked through with no pink inside. Lift out, let cool, then slice into thin bite-sized pieces.
- 150 g pork belly or loin
✅ Done when: the pork is fully cooked through, firm, and the juices run clear
Soak the shrimp
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Make the dressing
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Toss the salad
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Garnish and serve
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Salt the papaya
Put the julienned papaya in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and massage with your hands for a minute, then let it sit for 10 minutes. Rinse well under cold water and squeeze handfuls dry with a clean towel. This step pulls out the bitter juices and firms up the strands so they stay crunchy, not watery, once dressed.
- 600 g green papaya
- 1 tbsp salt
✅ Done when: the papaya smells fresh (not bitter) and feels dry and crisp, not wet
Boil the pork
Put the pork in a small pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 12–15 minutes until cooked through with no pink inside. Lift out, let cool, then slice into thin bite-sized pieces.
- 150 g pork belly or loin
✅ Done when: the pork is fully cooked through, firm, and the juices run clear
Soak the shrimp
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Make the dressing
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Toss the salad
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Garnish and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Shredded green papaya salads are found across Southeast Asia, but the Vietnamese version leans on nước mắm, lime and a handful of fresh herbs rather than the fermented pastes used in neighboring countries. It grew up as street food, sold from carts and small stalls where the papaya was shaved to order and tossed in seconds in front of the customer.
In the north it is usually called nộm; in the south the same style of salad goes by the name gỏi. Both are built the same way: raw crunch, pounded aromatics, and a dressing that has to hit sour, sweet, salty and spicy all at once.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is the dish that shows off Vietnamese balance of flavor in its purest form, and it is light enough to eat before or after a heavier meal, which is exactly how it is served at home and in restaurants.
💡 Fun Fact
Vendors traditionally shred the papaya with a special blade mounted on a small wooden board, running the fruit back and forth to produce long, even threads in seconds.
Vietnam
21.03°N, 105.85°E
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