Green Papaya Salad
- Yield: 2-3
Ingredients
- 2 stemmed red Thai chilies
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 small lime, preferably a Key lime, halved through the stem
- 5-6 long beans, cut into 2-inch pieces, about 1/2 cup
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, preferably Key lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon Tamarind water *
- 4 ounces peeled julienned green papaya, about 1 1/2 cups, lightly packed
- 1/2 carrot, julienned
- 1/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 heaping tablespoons unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Remove seeds from the Thai chili peppers and slice in half lengthwise. Slice the garlic clove in half lengthwise.
- Combine the chili peppers, garlic, and sugar in a large mortar and use a pestle to pound together until garlic and chili peppers become chunky and slightly mashed. There should still be small pieces of garlic and chili peppers remaining.
- Cut one of the lime halves into 3 wedges and add to the garlic and chili peppers. Lightly pound on the lime wedges to release some of the juice.
- Add the lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind water. Use pestle to mix sauce together.
- Add the long beans and lightly pound to slightly bruise them. Add the papaya and carrots and barely pound to slightly bruise the papaya. Use a wooden spoon to toss salad together, making sure that the sauce on the bottom becomes well incorporated with the vegetables.
- Add the tomatoes and peanuts and toss once again. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with some extra peanuts.
Notes
* To make tamarind water, combine 4 tsp of tamarind with 3/4 cup boiling hot water. Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes, breaking up the tamarind as it softens. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and press on the tamarind solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Extra tamarind water can be saved for up to a week in the refrigerator. Stir well before each use.
Adapted from Andy Ricker’s Pok Pok
Find it online: https://www.gatheranddine.com/green-papaya-salad/