Prep time: 5 minutes
Green papaya salad is, by far, the most popular dish among Thai people. Its simplicity, robust flavours, sharpness, and balance make it the perfect ambassador for Thai cuisine. This simplified version is also known as Som Dtam Thai.
(Photo Credit: Angus An)
Ingredients:
2 to 3 Thai bird’s eye chilies
1 to 2 garlic cloves
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons dried shrimp
1 tablespoon roasted peanuts
4 cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons shredded carrot
3 tablespoons sliced snake beans, 1” lengths
1 cup shredded green papaya
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind water
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce, or to taste
Pound the chilies and garlic together in a mortar and pestle, using salt as an abrasive. Add the dried shrimp and roasted peanuts, and pound everything together until it becomes a coarse paste. Add the cherry tomatoes, shredded carrot, snake beans, and green papaya and pound lightly to bruise them. Season with the palm sugar, tamarind water, lime juice, and fish sauce. The finished salad should taste sour, salty, sweet, and hot.
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