One of my favorite salads has to be this Vietnamese papaya salad (gỏi đu đủ). This is a super easy dish to make. It starts with shredded green papaya, then pile on your choice of fresh herbs, and beef jerky (bò khô). Then it is tossed in a soy vinaigrette, it makes a delicious snack, a main dish, and perfect for potlucks!
Love papaya recipes? Try this Laos papaya salad. Learn how to shred a green papaya with this how-to guide.
Vietnamese papaya salad with beef jerky, gỏi đu đủ bò khô, is super easy to make. This is a popular dish at our family potlucks and parties. At Vietnamese parties, there is so much food and most of the time carbohydrate overload. Papaya salad is a great break away from the heavy foods and the green papayas offer a crisp freshness. Vietnamese papaya salad is often paired with sweet beef jerky. You can find this type of beef jerky at the Vietnamese markets.
I used Costco beef jerky for my gỏi đu đủ and it worked just fine. There is no right or wrong beef jerky to pick. At the heart of Vietnamese cooking and every cooking is making the most of what you have. You do not need to go out and find the most "Vietnamese" beef jerky to make this salad. Choose the beef that you like best cut it up and give it a try! This salad is straightforward and forgiving.
The vinaigrette sauce is the most important. The sauce is the boss! It ties all the ingredients together. This sauce is much sweeter than other Laos or Thai som tum papaya salads. Because this is not super spicy this papaya salad is great for beginners who want to try papaya salad. I love Laos and Thai papaya salad but I love them spicy! The spiciness can work up my stomach if you know what I mean. Vietnamese papaya salad is a great choice when I want a nice, friendly papaya salad. It is mostly sweet and if you want you can add extra sriracha or Thai chiles.
Jump to:
- ❤️Why You'll love this recipe
- 🥄Equipment and tools
- 🛒Recipe Ingredients
- ↔Substitutions & Variations
- 👩🏫 How to Make Vietanmaese Papaya Salad (Gỏi Đu Đủ Bò Khô)
- Expert Tips
- 🙋♀️Recipes FAQ
- ❄️Storage and reheating instructions
- 💕More Recipes You'll Love
- 📖Recipe
- Easy Vietnamese Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky (Gỏi Đu Đủ Bò Khô)
❤️Why You'll love this recipe
- This recipe doesn't require any real cooking. All you'll need to do is cut up the ingredients and combine them!
- One papaya can make A LOT of salad.
🥄Equipment and tools
- All you'll need for this recipe is a mixing bowl and a knife or pair of scissors to cut the ingredients into the salad.
🛒Recipe Ingredients
Wondering what it takes to make gỏi đu đủ? Here is a rundown of the key ingredients!
- shredded green papaya: This is a key ingredient. Buy fresh green papayas and prepare them for the salad. I prepare my papaya salad with a mandoline. It takes me about 10 minutes!
- Thai basil and Mint - Thai basil and mints are some options you can add to add flavor and freshness to your salad. Choose the herb(s) you like best and add it to your salad. Other options include rau ram also known as Vietnamese coriander.
- Beef jerky - Vietnamese papaya salad goes with beef jerky. It's like salt and pepper. Does it have to be beef jerky? No. You can choose from pork jerky or turkey jerky. From all my past experiences you need a protein to go with this. Optionally fried tofu is a choice to add to the papaya salad.
- soy sauce - soy sauce is the main ingredient in the sauce. Choose the brand you like most. If you don't like soy sauce you can substitute it for Maggi seasoning.
- sugar - white sugar is the best for this vinaigrette.
- hoisin sauce - hoisin sauce adds extra sweetness and extra flavor to the vinaigrette.
- white vinegar - the vinaigrette has a lot of sweetness so we will need to cut it with vinegar. This adds a much-needed acidity to the vinaigrette.
optional ingredients
- crushed peanuts - this adds texture and a nutty flavor. If you are allergic DO NOT USE PEANUTS!
- fried shallots - fried shallots taste very good and also add a nice crunch to the salad.
- garlic chile sauce - this can be substituted with siracha sauce. This adds a little spice to the vinaigrette.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
↔Substitutions & Variations
- Add dried shrimp for an extra kick.
- Add shredded carrots for a tiny sweet flavor and extra vegetables.
- Make it vegetarian by adding shredded tofu.
👩🏫 How to Make Vietanmaese Papaya Salad (Gỏi Đu Đủ Bò Khô)
Step 1: Prepare the vinaigrette by adding soy sauce, white vinegar, hoisin sauce, sugar, and garlic chili sauce (optional). Then set aside.
Step 2: To the shredded papaya, cut beef jerky into small pieces.
Step 3: Cut or tear leaves into edible pieces into salad.
Step 4: Add vinaigrette and mix the salad in with a spoon. Evenly coat the dressing over the papaya and herbs.
Step 5: Plate salad then top with fried shallots and crushed peanuts! Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Eat as soon as possible. Best when enjoyed fresh.
- Use fresh green papayas for maximum crispiness and crunch.
🙋♀️Recipes FAQ
Thai and Vietnamese papaya salads are different in the ingredients that go into them and their taste. Thai papaya salad is salty, sour, and spicy. Vietnamese papaya salad is salty and sweet. The vinaigrette in Thai papaya salad is fish sauce, whereas in Vietnamese, it is soy sauce-based.
No. You can replace the beef jerky with pork jerky, turkey jerky, or cut-up fried tofu.
❄️Storage and reheating instructions
- Refrigerator: Store in a sealed tight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If there is a rancid smell, toss it.
- Reheating instructions: Papaya salad is served cold.
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📖Recipe
Easy Vietnamese Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky (Gỏi Đu Đủ Bò Khô)
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 mixing spoon
- 1 knife or scissor
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded papaya
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon garlic chile sauce or sirachia (optional)
- 1 handful fried shallots (optional )
- 1 handful crushed roasted unsalted peanuts (optional )
Instructions
- Mix together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, vinegar and garlic chile sauce into a small bowl. Combine until sugar is disolved and set a side.
- To a seprate mixing bowl add the shredded papaya. Use a knife or scissors to cut beef jerky into edible pieces and add to the mixing bowl.
- Then tear by hand or cut with a pair of scissors or knife the Thai basil and mint leaves into small edible pieces. Add to the salad mixing bowl.
- To the salad bowl add in vinagrette and combine everything together with a spoon.
- Plate and garnish with crushed peanuts and fried shallots. Enjoy!
Notes
- Traditionally Vietnamese beef jerky is used with this salad but use your choice of jerky (beef, pork, chicken, or fried tofu). Vietnamese beef jerky can be hard to find and American jerky is a great substitute.
- Use your choice of herbs. Thai basil, mint, and Vietnamese coriander are popular choices for Vietnamese papaya salad.
Vivian
This looks tasty!! I will have to try it some time. I love papaya salad but have not tried this version.
Trang Vo
Thank you Vivian! Let me know how you like it!