THAI PAPAYA SALAD
Also Known as Son tam spicy salad made from green papaya.
Salty, Sweet, Sour and Spicy, you will fall in love with this refreshing and delicious gem and quickly understand why it is consistently ranked among Thailand’s most popular dishes. I’m talkin’ lip smacking good.
I describe this salad as Thai inspired because in traditional Thai cooking, measuring devices are not used and nor are handy-dandy shredding tools that make the job easier. ‘Tum’ literally translates into “pound” and most/or all of the ingredients in this salad are traditionally pounded in a giant sized mortar with pestle. But since most of us do not own head-sized mortars and pestles the length of our forearms, I’ve used an option that are more likely to accommodate what the average person has on hand...A GLASS BOWl!! 👏🏻
Green papaya or unripe papaya is used in Thailand as a vegetable, the flavor is reminiscent of a cucumber.
Palm sugar, another key ingredient in this recipe...is an extract from the roasting juice of nipa. Palm sugar is less sweet then white sugar and has malty caramel taste.
The Thai chilies in this are very spicy, so add them judiciously. So it is a good idea to use some of those plastic gloves and even with that, wash your hands vigorously afterwards with a soap that contains surfectants (like dishwashing liquid). Usually peppers don’t bother me, especially milder ones like poblanos or fresnos, and most jalapenos. But these were packing a punch. So if you’re not into shredding a few tears then I would advise you to leave out the chili.
Ingredients:
1 small Green papaya, about 2 cups shredded
Cherry tomatoes 6 pieces
Lime 1
4-6 green beans chopped into small bite size pieces
Roasted peanuts hand full
Palm sugar 1 tbsp
Fish sauce 1 tsp
2 cloves garlic
1 thai red chili
Corrinader to garnish
METHOD:
Dressing
Mix palm sugar, fish sauce and lime In a separate bowl.
Peel the green outer layer of the papaya with a potato peeler. Shred the flesh of the papaya with a box grater. Although I used a grater, the traditional way is to place the papaya on a flat surface and cut into the flesh at about 1/8 inch intervals, then cut the papaya horizontally also at 1/8 inch intervals creating long thin shreds.
Add the papaya, halved tomatoes, chopped chilli, beans and garlic in another glass bowl.
Pour the mixed dressing on top and leave for 10 minutes. Then transfer to the dish you would like to serve.
Lastly Sprinkle roasted peanuts and corrinader on top and serve.
*Tip for less spicy
Cut lengthwise, dip them in bowl of water and remove seeds with a knife .
