Thai Green Papaya salad. It is cool, refreshing, tangy, and crunchy. This salad is best described as Thai Som Tam or green papaya salad. Topped with crunchy peanuts this salad often serves as a full meal or a filling side dish.
If you have been to any Thai restaurant you are probably aware of the name Som Tam, it is the Thai name of raw papaya salad. This salad is amazingly refreshing and with the onset of spring, it deserves a place in your weekly meal plan.
What is Thai Green Papaya Salad?
For readers who are not very aware of the fruit, Papaya(for this recipe) is best just before it starts ripening. It is the raw/green papaya and you need fresh ones for this recipe. Remember, the flavour of this recipe works best with fresh ingredients.
This salad represents the best of Thai flavours with its sweetness, saltiness, tanginess and spiciness. The combination of subtle papaya with sprouts, green beans, cherry tomato, and delicious dressing makes it a super appetizing light side for any day, especially in the spring and summer.
How to cut papaya into fine long strips?
The first step is to peel the papaya skin with a peeler and then wash and dry it properly. I prefer to use a julienne peeler to make juliennes of raw papaya. It's simple, convenient, and really easy. You can also try a mandolin to make papaya slices and then you can cut the fruit into thin and long matchstick like pieces. Any method will work for this recipe.
What Ingredients are needed?
Green Papaya juliennes
Green Beans
Cherry Tomatoes
Carrots
Thai Chilies
Lime Juice
Roasted Peanuts
Fresh Garlic
Dark Soy Sauce/Vegan Fish Sauce
Brown Sugar/Coconut Sugar
Tamarind paste (Optional)
Bean Sprouts(Optional)
Basil Leaves (Optional)
How to Make Thai Green Papaya Salad?
The first step is to prepare the sauce/dressing for the salad. Whisk all the ingredients together and keep them in the fridge. One important point I need to mention is that I have kept tamarind paste optional because sometimes in normal US grocery stores it is difficult to get it. Tamarind paste is easily available in all Asian, Indian and ethnic stores.
Using Mortar Pestle to Make Thai Green Papaya Salad.
Traditionally this salad is made in super big Mortar pestle but obviously, we don't have access to any of those. The best thing is to divide it into two-three parts and do it in a small mortar pestle. Just in case you do not own a mortar pestle use a roller pin and smash it roughly. Remember you need to do it roughly. Please do not over smash it.
You May Want To Check Some Other Thai Recipes,
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Thai Green Papaya salad
Ingredients
For The Dressing /Sauce
- 3 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce/Vegan Fish sauce
- ½ Tbsp Tamarind paste (Optional)
- 2 Tbsp Lemon/Lime Juice (increase the quantityto 3tbsp if you are not using tamarind paste)
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar/Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Warm Water
- 2 Cloves Minced Garlic
- 1-2 Thai red chillies, chopped finely. Adjust according to your taste.
Vegetables for Salad
- 2 Cups Papaya Juliennes
- ⅓ Cup Fresh Green Beans, cut into long pieces .
- ⅓ Cups Carrot juliennes.
- 1 Cup Cherry Tomato cut into halves.
- ¼ Cup Bean Sprouts
- ¼ Cup Roasted peanuts
- ¼ Cup Basil Leaves
Instructions
- Whisk all the ingredients written under sauce/dressing and keep it in the fridge till you prepare the vegetables..
- Take a mortar pestle and pound your papaya juliennes ,green beans and carrots.
- When we pound vegetables they are more likely to absorbs all the sauce or juices .That makes them more flavourful.
- Mix cherry tomatoes with them .Drizzle sauce /dressing on the top and mix with a wooden tong.Taste it .If you need some thing adjust it .
- Enjoy.
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