Green Papaya Salad with Shredded Beef Jerky

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A crunchy, no-cook Vietnamese street-food salad: matchsticks of unripe papaya soaked icy-crisp, tossed in a bright fish sauce–lime dressing with Thai basil, mint, roasted peanuts and chewy shredded beef jerky. It comes together in about 25 minutes with nothing but a knife, a julienne peeler and a bowl — the kind of $13 appetizer that tastes better made at home because the papaya never has time to go limp.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb green (unripe) papaya, about 1 small
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 small red onion or 2 shallots, sliced paper-thin
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
• 1/3 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems

• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 Thai bird chile, thinly sliced (or 1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce)
• 1 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar

• 4 oz Vietnamese-style beef jerky (bò khô) or thin peppered beef jerky
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp Vietnamese or Korean chili powder
• 1/4 tsp five-spice powder
• 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely crushed
• 3 tbsp crispy fried shallots (store-bought)
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Peel the green papaya with a vegetable peeler, halve it lengthwise and scrape out the pale seeds and any soft core with a spoon. Using a julienne peeler, mandoline or the large holes of a box grater, shred the flesh into thin 2- to 3-inch matchsticks; you should have about 6 cups. Shred the carrot the same way.
2. Toss the papaya and carrot with 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a colander and let sit 10 minutes. Rinse under cold running water, then submerge in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes to crisp. Drain well and squeeze the shreds gently in a clean kitchen towel until barely damp — wet papaya waters down the dressing.
3. Meanwhile, soak the sliced red onion in cold water for 10 minutes to tame its bite, then drain and pat dry.
4. Make the dressing: in a small bowl or jar, whisk the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, grated garlic, sliced chile and rice vinegar until the sugar fully dissolves, about 30 seconds. Taste — it should be aggressively salty-sour-sweet, since the papaya will mute it. Adjust with a pinch more sugar or a squeeze of lime.
5. Prep the jerky: pull or slice it with the grain into thin 2-inch shreds (kitchen shears work best on tough pieces). Toss the shreds in a small bowl with the sesame oil, chili powder and five-spice so they gloss up and loosen slightly. Set aside 1/4 of the jerky for the top.
6. In a large bowl, combine the drained papaya and carrot, red onion, Thai basil, mint, cilantro and the larger portion of jerky. Pour over about three-quarters of the dressing and toss with your hands or tongs for 30 seconds, lifting from the bottom so the herbs stay intact.
7. Let the salad stand 5 minutes so the jerky softens and the papaya drinks up the dressing, then taste and add the remaining dressing if you want it punchier.
8. Pile the salad onto a wide platter or shallow bowls. Scatter the reserved jerky, crushed peanuts and fried shallots over the top and serve immediately with lime wedges. Eat within 20 minutes — the crunch is the whole point.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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