The authentic Thai green papaya salad, balancing acidity, heat, saltiness, and sweetness, with a crisp, juicy texture prepared in the traditional way.
Ingredients
- 450 g green papaya (firm, unripe)
- 6 pieces bird's eye chilies (fresh, red or green)
- 6 cloves garlic cloves
- 90 g long green beans (or regular green beans)
- 150 g very ripe cherry tomatoes
- 60 ml fish sauce (nuoc-mâm or nam pla)
- 60 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
- 45 g palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 60 g unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
- 30 g dried shrimp (optional)
Method
- Peel the green papaya with a vegetable peeler, remove the seeds, and grate it into fine strips (julienne) using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Set it aside in a bowl of cold water to keep it crisp.
- Prepare the other vegetables: cut the green beans into 2 cm pieces. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Lightly crush the peanuts with a rolling pin or in a mortar to make coarse pieces.
- Place the garlic and whole bird's eye chilies in a mortar (or a large, sturdy bowl). Pound vigorously until you have a coarse paste. Add the palm sugar and pound again to dissolve it.
- Add the green beans and cherry tomatoes. Pound gently, just enough to crush them and release their juices; 4 to 5 pestle strokes are enough.
- Add the fish sauce and lime juice. Mix with the pestle to form a smooth sauce. Taste and adjust the sweet-sour-salty balance (a little more lime, fish sauce, or sugar according to your taste).
- Drain the grated papaya and add it to the mortar. Mix with the pestle and a spoon, lifting the salad rather than crushing it, so each strand is coated with sauce.
- Add the crushed peanuts and dried shrimp (if using). Mix one final time.
- Arrange the salad on a serving dish. Sprinkle with a few extra peanuts and dried shrimp for garnish. Serve immediately, at room temperature, with sticky rice or rice cakes.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 292.9 kcal
- Protein
- 11.9 g
- Carbohydrate
- 39.7 g
- Fat
- 10.75 g
- Fibre
- 7.49 g
- Calcium
- 30.7 mg
- Iron
- 0.93 mg
- Magnesium
- 21.18 mg