There is a tradition among itinerant street vendors of using a particular identifying sound to attract customers. Legend has it that in the days before cars and motorbikes, Hanoi was such a quiet city the most famous green papaya vendor in town could lure customers out of their houses with the sound of snipping metal scissors – his unique signal.

Nowadays, these subtle signals have often been replaced with a piece of recorded music blaring from a portable speaker to drown out the street noise.

1 green papaya

100 g bean sprouts

4 red Asian shallots, thinly sliced

½ handful coriander sprigs

3 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped

30 g dried beef

2 tablespoons fried shallots

Dressing

120 g sugar

100 ml lime juice

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 long red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Peel and thinly slice the green papaya into 4–6 cm long strips. Place the papaya in a bowl with the bean sprouts, Asian shallots, coriander, peanuts and dried beef.

For the dressing, combine the sugar and lime juice in a small bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the fish sauce, chilli and garlic.

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss. Serve the salad in a large bowl, sprinkled with fried shallots.