Gỏi Bưởi

the Vietnamese pomelo salad, distinguished from its Thai and Malay cousins by the sheer weight of herbs: perilla, Vietnamese coriander, and basil by the handful, under nước chấm

Origin: Vietnam

From the journey of Pomelo.

Gỏi is the Vietnamese family of raw salads, and gỏi bưởi sits alongside the Thai yam som-o and the Malay kerabu limau bali as one of three closely related answers to the same fruit. All three rest on the pomelo's dry, separating flesh; what differs is what surrounds it, and in each case the difference is diagnostic of the cuisine. The Vietnamese version is defined by herbs, used in a quantity that visitors consistently underestimate. Perilla, Vietnamese coriander, Thai basil, and mint go in by the handful rather than the sprig, and they are a component of the salad rather than a garnish on it. The second difference is the dressing: where Thai and Malay cooks build the dressing in the bowl from fish sauce, sugar, and lime, Vietnam uses nước chấm, the ready-made dipping sauce of fish sauce, lime, sugar, water, garlic, and chilli, which is milder and more diluted. A Vietnamese salad is consequently less intense and more fragrant than its Thai equivalent, and it is eaten in larger quantity. Vietnam is also amongst the world's largest pomelo producers and has bred serious local varieties, notably the green-skinned bưởi da xanh of Bến Tre in the Mekong delta, whose flesh runs deep pink and unusually sweet, and the bưởi Đoan Hùng of the northern midlands. The fruit is a domestic staple rather than a speciality.

Ingredients

Salad

1 large pomelo, preferably pink-fleshed
200 g raw prawns, peeled
150 g pork belly, in one piece
1 small red onion, sliced paper-thin

Herbs

1 large handful Vietnamese coriander (rau răm), leaves picked
1 large handful perilla (tía tô) and Thai basil, torn
1 handful mint leaves, torn

To finish

50 g roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
4 tbsp crisp fried shallots

Nước chấm

3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp warm water
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 whole red bird's eye chillies, minced

To serve

4 whole prawn crackers, to serve

Method

Make the nước chấm: dissolve the sugar in the warm water, then stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and chilli. Set aside.
Simmer the pork belly in salted water for 25 minutes until cooked through, then cool and slice very thinly. Poach the prawns in the same water for two minutes and halve the larger ones.
Quarter the pomelo rind, pull away the rind and thick pith, and strip the membrane from every segment. Break the flesh into loose clusters of juice sacs.
Slice the onion paper-thin, rinse under cold water, and pat dry. Pick and tear all the herbs.
Combine the pomelo, pork, prawns, onion, and herbs in a wide bowl, add about two thirds of the nước chấm, and turn gently with your hands two or three times.
Scatter over the peanuts and fried shallots and serve immediately with prawn crackers for scooping.

Notes

Rau răm, Vietnamese coriander, has a distinctive peppery, faintly soapy character with no real substitute; ordinary coriander with extra mint is the usual compromise. Grapefruit will not work, its sacs collapsing under the dressing. Shredded poached chicken or flaked grilled fish can replace the pork and prawns, and a vegetarian version using fried tofu with a soy-and-lime dressing in place of nước chấm is straightforward. Dress at the last moment and serve at once; the salad weeps within fifteen minutes.

The Gastrographer

Name: Gỏi Bưởi
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 1 large pomelo, preferably pink-fleshed; 200 g raw prawns, peeled; 150 g pork belly, in one piece; 1 small red onion, sliced paper-thin; 1 large handful Vietnamese coriander (rau răm), leaves picked; 1 large handful perilla (tía tô) and Thai basil, torn; 1 handful mint leaves, torn; 50 g roasted peanuts, roughly crushed; 4 tbsp crisp fried shallots; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 3 tbsp lime juice; 3 tbsp caster sugar; 4 tbsp warm water; 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; 2 whole red bird's eye chillies, minced; 4 whole prawn crackers, to serve

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control