Green Papaya Salad

 A. Weaver || November 5, 2022

Papaya Salad has to be one of my favorite dishes. It is sweet, sour, refreshing, and spicy to say the least. I first tried this dish about a year ago and I have been obsessed with it ever since. 

Green Papaya Salad

Recipe makes 4 to 6 servings. Total time 20 minutes (Prep: 15 minutes/ Assemblage 5 minutes). 

Special Cookware: Mortar and pestle or blender

Ingredients 

• 8 grape tomatoes
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 2 tbs lime juice
• 2 cloves of garlic (peeled)
• 2 fresh bird's eye chilies
• 2 tbs of dry-roasted salted peanuts
• 2 tbs palm sugar or raw sugar
• 1 tbs dried shrimp
• 1 small to medium green (unripe) papaya
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup trimmed long beans (cut into 1-inch pieces) 

Directions

1. Peel and coarsely grate or shred the green papaya. Discard seeds and inner membrane. Place the shredded papaya in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with cold water. Let the shredded papaya stand for at least 10-30 minutes. Remove the papaya from the water and place on a clean dish towel. Pat the shredded papaya dry.
2. In the mortar, combine bird's eye chilies and garlic. Pound the chilies and the garlic until the mixture becomes a loose paste. 
3. Add both the dried shrimp and palm sugar. Combine until the mixture becomes incorporated with the chilies and garlic paste.
4. Add fish sauce, lime juice, peanuts, grape tomatoes, carrots, and long beans to the mortar. Use the pestle to lightly crush the grape tomatoes.
5. Transfer the wet mixture and papaya to a large mixing bowl. Lightly, but thoroughly, toss the mixture and the shredded papaya together. Taste if additional seasoning needs to be added.

Sprinkle with crushed peanuts and serve.

Hūlō

A. Weaver

Photos by A. Weaver