Thai Green Papaya Salad
A vibrant and refreshing Thai salad featuring crunchy green papaya, spicy chilies, and a sweet-savory dressing.
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 500 g 500g/4 cups green papaya (shredded, tightly packed cups) Use firm green papaya for the best crunch.
- 3 cups 3 cups grape tomatoes (cut in half, roughly 400g/14oz)
- 20 pieces 20 snake beans (cut in 5cm/2" pieces, raw)
- 1/2 cup 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves For garnishing.
Dressing Ingredients
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp garlic (roughly chopped, 10 normal or 4 large garlic cloves) Use fresh garlic for best flavor.
- 6 pieces 6 bird eye chilies (roughly chopped with seeds) Adjust quantity for desired spiciness.
- 6 tbsp 6 tbsp dried shrimp For added umami flavor.
- 1 cup 1 cup palm sugar (grated using a standard box grater, loosely packed)
- 1/2 cup 1/2 cup lime juice Freshly squeezed is best.
- 1/2 cup 1/2 cup fish sauce
- 1 cup 1 cup roasted peanuts (unsalted) Pounded lightly for garnish.
Instructions
Preparation
- Place peanuts in a mortar and pestle. Pound lightly to break them into larger pieces, then transfer to a bowl.
- In the same mortar, pound garlic and chilies together into a paste. Add dried shrimp and pound slightly to break them up.
Dressing and Salad Assembly
- Stir in palm sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce until the sugar dissolves. Pour the dressing into a large bowl.
- Add snake beans to the mortar (in batches if needed). Pound to bruise, split, and soften, then add to the dressing.
- Crush handfuls of grape tomatoes with your hands and add to the bowl.
- Add shredded papaya and about 3/4 of the crushed peanuts. Toss well using two wooden spoons or tongs.
- Serve immediately by piling the salad onto plates, drizzling with leftover dressing, garnishing with Thai basil leaves and sprinkling the remaining peanuts on top.
Notes
For a vegetarian version, skip the dried shrimp and fish sauce and substitute with soy sauce. It’s best to enjoy the salad fresh for optimal texture.