.A vibrant, colourful, crunchy, sweet and sour Vietnamese Gỏi salad with pomelo, prawns, tofu and lots of fresh herbs. Don’t skimp out on the nuoc cham dressing!
We Melbournians may roll our eyes and chuckle as we say, ‘why yes, Melbourne does go through all four seasons in one day!’
But really, Melbourne has five seasons; autumn, winter, spring, summer and f**k you.
Now this last one may not happen every day, but it can happen in any other season, and usually comes on without warning, can last up to three days, max, and then disappears, leaving us heat-drunk and a little more crispy.
You want to do minimal cooking on these hellfire days. No cooking, would be preferable. But I’m happy to stand at the stove for ten minutes if it means I get to munch on this Vietnamese coleslaw salad, inside with all the windows closed, as my city swelters.
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Goi
If any dish should be called vibrant, it’s Vietnamese gỏi.
Gỏi is Vietnam’s native salad, and at its simplest, is made with cabbage, a protein of your choice, lots and lots of fresh herbs, and a healthy drizzle or two of nuoc cham (fish sauce dressing). It’s fresh, flavourful and colourful. Vibrant.
Gơi gà, otherwise known as Vietnamese chicken salad or coleslaw, is probably the most well-known of the gơi salads, but switch up a few of the ingredients and you have completely different salads! Gơi chay has tofu, gơi tom prawns or shrimp, and gơi buoi has grapefruit or pomelo. There are plenty other combos, but these are three main ingredients I use when I make Vietnamese gơi.
Main Ingredients and Substitutions
You can tell just from the amount of different gơi salads available that this Vietnamese coleslaw is completely customisable to your tastes or to whatever you’ve got on hand. As long as you have the staples covered – cabbage base, protein, herbs, dressing – you’ll end up with a tasty salad to enjoy, no matter the weather.
- Cabbage – Raw cabbage is fresh, crunchy and slightly peppery. I like to use a mix of both green and purple cabbage because of taste and because of added colour. You can use one or the other. You can even sub it out for your favourite slaw, if you really don’t like cabbage, but I don’t know if you can still call it a gơi…
- Quick pickle carrot – I like to add a little quick-pickled carrot for texture, colour and for a subtle sweet-sour taste. This isn’t necessarily traditional, so you can leave it out or just add in some raw, shredded carrot.
- Tofu and prawns – I like the variety this salad has, so when I have both tofu and prawns on hand, I use both. But this will work just as well with one or the other. Or you can sub the tofu out for chicken.
- Pomelo – Unless you’re making gơi buoi, pomelo is not strictly needed to make a gơi salad. However, it adds a fresh bust of sweet flavour that pairs really well with the tofu, shrimp and herbs. If it’s in season and you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend trying it. If it’s not in season, grapefruit and blood oranges can easily be substituted. Oranges could work as well, though your salad will be sweeter.
- Herbs – Fresh herbs are an absolute must in this salad. Do not skimp out on them. Coriander and mint are a must whether they’re the Vietnamese varieties or not. Basil rounds out the different herb flavours but isn’t necessary.
- Nuoc cham – Nuoc cham, a fish sauce-based dipping sauce and dressing is a must. It’s a blend of sweet, sour and salty, and is surprisingly refreshing. You could swap it for a vegetarian-friendly version, but you must make sure it has that umami hit.
Love Tropical-Inspired Recipes? Try These:
- Fruit and Vegetable Quinoa Salad
- Prawn-Stuffed Avocados with Finger Limes
- Plum and Salmon Salad
- Blackened Salmon Tacos w Minted Pineapple Salsa
Vietnamese Gỏi Salad with Prawns, Tofu and Pomelo
Equipment
- Chopping board
Ingredients
- Nuoc cham dressing
- 1 small carrot, finely shredded
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or granulated sugar
- 1/2 pomelo
- 8 to 12 prawns, fresh, peeled and deveined, or frozen or pre-cooked
- 1 packet pre-marinated honey-soy tofu
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 green cabbage, finely shredded
- 1/4 purple cabbage, finely shredded
- 4 scallions
- 1/2 cup coriander
- 1/3 cup Vietnamese mint
- 1/3 cup mint
- Peanuts, optional
- Prawn crackers, optional
Instructions
- First, make the nuoc cham dressing. There’s an entire post breaking down the ingredients, flavours and how to make it balanced for individual tastes. Set it aside while prepping the rest of the salad so the flavours can meld.
- Make the quick pickled carrot by combining the shredded carrot with the rice wine vinegar and coconut or granulated sugar. Stir and set aside, remembering to give it a stir every now and then.
- To prep the pomelo, slice away the top and bottom of the fruit, keeping some of the white pith intact. Carefully, score the pith from top to bottom around the fruit and pry the skin and as much of the pith away as possible. Find the segment line and pull or cut the pomelo in half. Wrap one half in cling film and store in the fridge for another recipe (or dip it in lime and chilli salt and enjoy it fresh!). Remove the membrane between the pomelo slices and gently ease out the vesicles. Set them aside.
- If using frozen prawns, cook them as per the packet directions. For raw prawns, bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the prawns for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are no longer translucent, bright pink and float to the surface. Scoop them out and refresh them with cold or iced water to stop them cooking further.
- While the prawns are boiling, heat the sesame oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook the honey-soy tofu pieces, about 3 minutes per side, until heated through and slightly charred and crispy on the edges. Set aside to cool and then chop into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
- When ready to serve the salad, start by chopping the scallions and herbs. In a large bowl, add the cabbage, quick-pickled carrot, scallions and herbs. Toss to mix. Add the pomelo, prawns and tofu on top, scatter with peanuts if using, and then drizzle with some of the nuoc cham dressing.
- Serve, with or without prawn crackers, and the leftover nuoc cham.
Cook along with me
Nutrition
Linking up with Fiesta Friday, where Angie also has a great recipe for homemade Chinese noodles!
2 Comments
I don’t know what’s worse, the heatwave you’re experiencing or the freezing cold we’re having. We’re under another snowstorm watch! Strangely, I want salads, like this Goi salad. So good!!
I’d say the cold you’re having is worse because I have three hot days in a row, max, before it cools down again! You can always serve it just as the prawns and tofu are ready so it’s not all cold. I hope it warms up for you soon!