Vietnamese · Lunch
Saigon Lotus Root Salad
Goi Ngo Sen
Saigon lotus root salad with shaved lotus stems, poached shrimp, and sliced pork belly tossed in a vibrant fish sauce dressing of lime, chilli, and palm sugar, finished with crushed peanuts, fried shallot, mint, and Vietnamese coriander.
$$
20 minsPrep
20 minsCook
40 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
520Calories
34gProtein
28gFat
28gCarbs
8gSugar
4gFiber
780mgSodium
145mgChol
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Instructions
1
Prep
Halve ginger and shallot lengthwise, mince garlic, slice red chilli into rings. Peel carrot into matchsticks, halve tomato into wedges. Drain and bias-slice lotus stems into 4cm pieces. Peel and devein shrimp, slice pork belly against the grain into 5mm rectangles after cooking. Crush peanuts coarsely.
2
Boil
Bring water with ginger, shallot, and salt to a boil over high heat for 5 minutes. Drop pork belly in, reduce to bare simmer for 12–14 minutes until juices run clear. Lift onto a board to cool.
3
Build 1
Add shrimp to the same pot off heat, poach in residual heat for 4–5 minutes until pink and opaque. Transfer to ice water for 1 minute to chill, then halve lengthwise butterfly-style.
4
Build 2
Whisk fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, and half the chilli rings off heat for 1 minute until sugar dissolves and dressing turns glossy.
5
Fry
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat for 3 minutes until 180°C. Drop shrimp crackers in one at a time, fry 5 seconds each until puffed to triple size and pale. Drain on paper towel.
6
Build 3
Toss lotus stems, carrot, tomato with dressing off heat for 2 minutes, bruising lightly until ribbons soften and soak in colour.
7
Plate
Mound dressed lotus salad on plates, fan pork belly and shrimp halves cut-side up alongside. Scatter peanuts, fried shallot, mint, rau ram, cilantro, remaining chilli, and tuck shrimp crackers around the salad.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 300g (10.6 oz) raw shrimp
- 240g (8.5 oz) pork belly
- 400g (14.1 oz) lotus stems
- 60g (2.1 oz) fresh ginger
- 60g (2.1 oz) shallot
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 120g (4.2 oz) carrot
- 200g (7.1 oz) ripe tomato
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4 fresh red bird chilli
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp palm sugar
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 40g (1.4 oz) roasted peanuts
- 20g (small handful) fried shallot
- 20g (small handful) Vietnamese mint
- 20g (small handful) rau ram Vietnamese coriander
- 16g (small handful) cilantro
- 40g (1.4 oz) dried shrimp crackers
- 400ml (1 3/4 cup) neutral oil