Name: Vietnamese Chicken, Shrimp, and Grapefruit Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 7 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 100 oz ofsoybean sprouts; 100 oz ofbamboo shoots (canned); 1 cucumber (large, preferably organic, since it's unpeeled); 1 onion (average); 1 chicken breast; 100 oz ofgrapefruits; 50 oz ofpork loin (or chest); 100 oz ofraw shrimp; 3 tbsp ofsunflower oil (or grape seeds. I avoid olive oil when cooking Asian dishes.); 2 tbsp ofsesame oil; 20 leaves ofmint; 1 teaspoon oflemon juice (or 1/2 tsp. of vinegar); 1 fresh chili pepper (a small one, or a dried cayenne pepper if that's not available); 1 pod ofgarlic; 2 tbsp ofsesame seeds; 4 tbsp ofpeanuts (unsalted and unroasted); 1 teaspoon ofnuoc-mâm sauce (or soy sauce); 1 pinch ofpepper

Vietnamese Chicken, Shrimp, and Grapefruit Salad

main courses lunar new year no cooking required poultry salads

Updated on 14 April 2025 by

toquetoque

10 reviews 4.19 : Very good

Cuisine

Vietnam

Diet

Lightweight

Level

Easy

Calories

150 pour 100g

Preparation

30 minutes

Cooking

7 minutes

I adapted this recipe for a Vietnamese salad with chicken, shrimp, and grapefruit from the famous book La Cuisine Vietnamienne et Chinoise, Nguyen Ngoc Rao, Guide Marabout, 190 pages.

It’s a salad that’s complete, healthy, and filling—perfect for a summer lunch. The dressing that accompanies it is fragrant and delightfully crunchy thanks to the roasted peanuts and sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

For

people

Add to shopping list

For the salad
3.5 oz of soybean sprouts
3.5 oz of bamboo shoots canned
1 cucumber large, preferably organic, since it's unpeeled
1 onion average
1 chicken breast
3.5 oz of grapefruits
1.8 oz of pork loin or chest
3.5 oz of raw shrimp

For the salad dressing
3 tbsp of sunflower oil or grape seeds. I avoid olive oil when cooking Asian dishes.
2 tbsp of sesame oil
20 leaves of mint
1 teaspoon of lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. of vinegar
1 fresh chili pepper a small one, or a dried cayenne pepper if that's not available
1 pod of garlic
2 tbsp of sesame seeds
4 tbsp of peanuts unsalted and unroasted
1 teaspoon of nuoc-mâm sauce or soy sauce
1 pinch of pepper

Preparing the salad
- 1
  Slice the chicken breast into strips along the grain, and place it in a steamer.
- 2
  Cut the pork loin into strips and place it in the steamer.
- 3
  Remove the heads from the shrimp and peel them. Cut them in half lengthwise, and place them in the steamer with the chicken and pork.
- 4
  Steam the chicken, pork, and shrimp together for 7 minutes. Once they're done cooking, remove them from the steamer and set them aside in a bowl in the fridge for at least half an hour.
- 5
  Meanwhile, wash the cucumber without peeling it, and slice it into thin strips using a mandoline if you have one.
  Cut the strips so that they measure about 5 cm by 2 cm.
  Place the cucumber strips in a large mixing bowl.
- 6
  Peel and finely chop the onion, then add it to the mixing bowl.
- 7
  Rinse and drain the bean sprouts and bamboo shoots. Add them to the salad bowl.
- 8
  Peel the grapefruit and remove the pith.
  Cut the grapefruit into fairly thin slices and add them to the bowl.
Preparing the sauce
- 9
  Pour the sesame and sunflower oil into a bowl or small mixing bowl.
- 10
  In a small mortar or garlic press, crush the chili pepper along with the peeled and de-germed garlic. Add it to the oil in the bowl.
- 11
  Pour the lemon juice into the bowl. Rinse and finely chop the mint leaves, then add them to the rest of the sauce.
- 12
  Toast the sesame seeds for 2–3 minutes in a skillet. Remove them as soon as they start to give off a roasted aroma—they mustn’t burn!
  Add them to the sauce.
- 13
  Toast the peanuts separately, then crush them coarsely with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor.
  Add them to the sauce.
Final assembly
- 14
  Add the pork, chicken, and shrimp to the vegetables in the large mixing bowl.
- 15
  Pour the salad dressing over the top and toss well. There you go—it's ready!

Comments

Lû Lam
July 2, 2025

I’ve been making this salad for almost 50 years (from the 1975–76 Marabout guide); it’s delicious. The vinaigrette also includes nuoc mâm and a little sugar.
I’m of Chinese-Vietnamese descent, born in Indochina/Saigon.
Thank you for sharing it. All the Asian recipes on the internet are tailored for Europeans who don’t know the true Asian flavor. Bravo, “Joyeux Gourmet”!
❤️1
Reply
- Sylvain
  February 18, 2026
  Hi Lû, what a surprise! I’m thrilled to hear that this little book is also well-known and loved by the Vietnamese themselves! And I hadn’t realized it was already so old! But it’s true that when I think back, it’s been at least 25 years—if not more—since I first came across this book. I still remember spending entire mornings making spring rolls for my sister and parents to enjoy 😅
  And yes, this salad is as colorful and pretty to look at as it is delicious to eat!
  Yes, Joyeux Gourmet is top-notch when it comes to recipe quality. Feel free to share your own recipes too. On this site, we truly appreciate authentic cuisine and the sharing of culinary expertise, to keep the beautiful culinary traditions of all countries alive!
  Reply