Thai green papaya salad is one of those appetizers that really has everything you are looking for. The sweet tart of the papaya with the saltiness of the fish sauce and the fiery after-burn of the chilies pack so much flavor into such a simple meal.
I’ve been to Thailand quite a few times, and I eat at Thai food places as often as I can afford here in the PNW. This is one Thai meal that I can reproduce well enough to make frequently (I still haven’t mastered the green curry so If anyone has any great pointers let me know!). This is usually served as a side or an appetizer but I love it so much I can eat a whole bowlful as my meal. Make sure you are grabbing a green (as in not ripe or somewhat sour tasting) papaya and not a rip one (which is usually an orange color). Ripe papaya should have a greenish orange skin and the best place to usually get them is at an asian market.
Ingredients:
- One medium green papaya, shredded
- 1 cup of chopped roasted peanuts
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 cup blanched green beans cut into 2 inch strips
- 3 green onion pieces diced
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 red chili diced (remove the seeds if you are not so into spicy food)
- 1 tsp shrimp paste (or substitute for 1 tsp fish sauce or soy sauce if unavailable)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 limes
- 1/2 tbsp agave (or honey)
Alrighty, so firstly if you have a mortar and pestle bust that baby out and prepare yourself for some serious arm action. Put the garlic cloves and chili into the mortal and crush into they look pretty mushed. Add the shrimp paste (I used dried shrimps in this example which I found at the local asian super market.)
Grind those up until they are pastey. Squeeze the juice of the limes, oil, vinegar, fish sauce and agave in and add the blanched green beans and grind some more until it is well mixed. In a separate bowl add the shredded papaya, peanuts, tomatoes green onions and basil. Combine the wet ingredients with the papaya and stir until well mixed. Add more oil, vinegar, fish sauce or dried chilies if desired.
If you don’t have a mortal and pestle just mince all the ingredients finely and add them together, I guarantee it will still taste delicious. Serve yourself a bowl of this delicious salad and enjoy!
Let me know if anything was unclear! Thinking about this salad is making me super hungry and I can’t think properly.
The Food Mosaic 