Thai Papaya Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 green papaya
• 2 medium cloves of garlic
• 3 green onions
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 8 to 10 oz. cherry tomatoes
• 2 large limes
• 8 Chinese long beans
•  10 fresh Thai chili peppers
• 1/4 cup dried shrimp
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 to 3/4 lump palm sugar (about 1 heaping tbsp once ground)

Tools you will need:

• Mortar and pestle
• chef’s knife
• grater or julienne peeler (best)
• regular peeler
• large mixing bowl

Instructions:

1. Peel the skin off of the papaya leaving a little on the smaller end for a better grip (it will get slippery).
2. Peel off strips of papaya using the julienne peeler or grater and put into large mixing bowl (use caution – see video).
3. Peel and chop garlic into small chunks, then place into mortar.
4. Finely mince the cilantro, reserving a little in a small bowl which will later be ground up in the mortar. Place the rest in the large bowl with the papaya.
5. Slice the remaining vegetables and add to the large bowl, again reserving a little of each in the small bowl. I like to slice the cherry tomatoes in half and even quarter the larger ones.
6. Finely mince the chili peppers and do the same as with the other vegetables (mince these last as you may want to wash the cutting board, knife and your hands to avoid burning any sensitive body parts like your eyes).
7. Cut the 2 limes in half and set aside.
8. Finely mince about a quarter cup of the dried shrimp.
9. Grind the garlic in the mortar to make a paste.
10. Add the minced dried shrimp and a little of the juice from one of the lime halves (not too much or it will really splatter).
11. Add the reserved vegetables from the small bowl and the palm sugar to the mortar. Grind into a paste.
12. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the contents of the mortar into the small bowl. Add the juice from the limes and the fish sauce. Mix well.
13. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss.

Tips:

Be careful handling the chili peppers, especially if you have sensitive skin. At the very least you’ll want to wash your hands thoroughly to avoid accidentally burning your eyes.

Hand julienne peelers are sharp! The papaya can get very slippery so be careful.

Just 1 green papaya can make a lot of salad. If you’re just making this for 1 or even 2 people, you can freeze half in a large freezer bag. Because of the seafood content, it won’t keep in the fridge for too long.

To cut down on the salt and fishy taste, you can add less dried shrimp/fish sauce.