One of my favorite dishes in Southeast Asian cuisine is green papaya salad. It’s tangy and light, and it does exactly what it is supposed to do: prepare our appetite for the main meal.
This papaya salad is made from green papaya. It comes from the same fruit as orange papaya, but the harvesting of the fruit at an earlier stage of development leads to its green color. Green papaya is crisp (but not juicy) and it has a very mild flavor, even more mild than cucumbers. It reminds me a lot of kohlrabi.
Green papaya salads are often flavored with lime, chilies, garlic, fish sauce, dried seafood, and sugar. In this vegan version, I substituted the fish sauce with soy sauce and used maple syrup to sweeten the dressing. If you like the bright flavors of lime juice, feel free to substitute a few tablespoons of the rice vinegar with lime juice.
It is more common to top the salad with toasted peanuts, but I’m using toasted sunflower seeds instead. Sunflower seeds are inexpensive, and I don’t think we use them enough!
SHREDDING PAPAYA FOR GREEN PAPAYA SALAD
- Shredding the papaya: In the recipe, I explain a method which involves constantly tapping at the papaya with a knife and carefully slicing of layers of shredded papaya. This process can be quite tiring on the wrist and forearm. For a video of the shredding technique, watch this video. Another way to shred the papaya is to slice it in half lengthwise. Then, use a spoon to remove the seeds and strings. After removing the seeds, from the papaya, slice each half into quarters. Next, make very thin slices of papaya using a mandoline. Gather up the sliced papaya and julienne them into thin strips. A third method is to grate the papaya with a box grater, though I haven’t tested this method myself.
- Using a julienne peeler: I’ve tried shredding the green papaya with a julienne peeler and the cross blade of my mandoline, but neither option worked well. I simply couldn’t push the papaya through the cross blade, and the julienne peeler just scraped the surface of the papaya without making any shreds.
Green Papaya Salad (Vegan)
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup or sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped shallots, optional
- 1 to 2 bird’s eye chili pepper, Thai chili pepper, sliced (see note 1)
Salad
- 1 medium green papaya, you’ll need about 4 1/2 cups shredded green papaya
- 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
- 1 to 2 persian cucumbers, julienned
- 1/3 cup loosely packed mint leaves, chopped
- 4 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing: Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and set aside.
- Prepare the papaya: Slice off the ends of the green papaya. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the outer skin. Hold the peeled papaya with one hand and tap the papaya with a sharp knife with the other other. You should see shallow knife marks on the papaya. Carefully slice off a layer of the papaya (where you have been tapping), creating green papaya shreds. Watch this video for the technique. If this method seems a bit dangerous or tiring to you, see the notes above for an alternative shredding method. You only need about 4 1/2 cups of shredded green papaya.
- Toss the salad: In a large bowl, mix the green papaya, carrots, cucumber, mint and sunflower seeds. Pour in the dressing that’s been marinating and toss to coat the vegetables with the dressing. Serve immediately.
Notes
- These chiles are quite spicy, so 1 is usually good enough for me. Feel free to go for 2 if you love the spice!
- You’ll probably have a lot of dressing settling at the bottom of the mixing bowl. I usually drain the dressing and save it for another salad.
- You can also add other vegetables to this dressing, such as tomatoes and bell peppers.
Cameron Stauch says
Hi Lisa, Great recipe adaptation of my recipe! I also suggest to use toasted sunflower seeds if you don’t want to or can’t eat peanuts. I look forward to scrolling through and trying other recipes on your blog. Keep up the great work!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you so much, Cameron! Love flipping through your cookbook!
RT says
Hi, I’m not a salad eater but this recipe is an exception. Thanks for sharing. What would go well with it?
Kate says
In Thailand it is typically served with grilled chicken and sticky rice on the side. Vegetarians could do grilled (marinated) tempeh or tofu.
Alex says
This recipe actually came out MUCH better than I expected! I’m a huge fan of Laos style papaya, with 3 or more different forms of fish, but this actually came out delicious! Not nearly as strong smelling which is great for my family and much quicker to make! Thank you!
Jennifer says
I made this last night. I couldn’t find Thai chilis, so I used a couple serrano peppers. It was delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
shruti karnad says
Made this salad today! And it was yum!! So flavorful … I replaced the rice vinegar with balsamic. It turned out nice! Thanks 😊
Lisa Lin says
Thanks, Shruti!
Kod Gita says
Any recommendation for pregnant or about to become pregnant women to avoid consuming raw papaya?
Kate says
Can you eat raw green mango? That’s also used in this salad.
AudreyS says
Recipe sounds great and I look forward to paring with my Penang shrimp curry. I have a question though: how do you know that the papaya is ripe?
By the way, your introis written very well.
Thanks,
Lisa Lin says
With green papaya salad, you don’t need to use a ripe one.
Victoria says
You have butchered this dish. Vinegar?? Mint?? This is not Thai food. This is not som tam.
Lee says
Loved this😋
Had it as a side with a vegan Khoa Soi last night. Great combo.
My papaya was a bit ripe and I looked like I had been through a mincer myself after trying out a new, poorly designed Julienne cutter but it was worth it.
I thought that it might work with a little ginger but that might be due to the sweetness of my not-so-green Papaya.
Thanks Lisa. We will be checking out your other plant-based recipes
Lisa Lin says
Thanks, Lee!
Seafox says
Enjoyed – thanks for sharing!!! I am sailing the South Pacific and am limited on my ingredients so I substituted cilantro (for mint) and Thai seasonings for garlic. I added tofu, tomatoes, cucumber, & orange pepper. Made for a wonderful dinner. Thanks again
Lisa Lin says
Thank you very much for trying this recipe! Glad you enjoyed it!
Sylvi Mary says
Thank you for the papaya salad recipe.it was wonderful. I don’t eat shrimp or fish sauce.
Lisa Lin says
Thank you for trying it, Sylvi Mary!
Syed Yamina Afsheen Ali says
Thanks for sharing the recipie. Made this today. Every one loved it in my home.❤️
Conny says
Awesome recipe. Have used it lots of times already.
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Conny!