GREEN PAPAYA SALAD (SOMTAM)

Green papaya salad is a beautifully unique and flavor-filled dish that will make a great impression.

It’s also easy to make, low-calorie, and very nutritious. So try this Som tam recipe for dinner tonight!

Ingredients

• 5 cherry tomatoes
• 5 green beans
• 2 chili peppers
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimp
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• 6 green beans
• 2 cups shredded green papaya
• 3/4 lime
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Palm Sugar
• 2 tablespoons toasted peanuts (Optional)

Instructions

1. Roughly crush a small handful of unsalted peanuts with mortar and pestle. Set aside. Wipe the mortar and pestle clean.
2. Melt palm sugar in a small pan at low or medium heat, adding 2 tbs of water. The cooking process should form a shiny and thick syrup. This makes it easier to mix the sugar with the salad.
3. Peel the papaya, shred it with a shredder (or a mandolin slicer) to thin strips and soak them in cold water while you prepare the rest of the salad.
4. Cut the green beans into one-inch pieces. Throw away the endings.
5. Take the chilies and peeled garlic and give them a gentle bash with mortar and pestle. You still ought to see bits and pieces, not a puree.
6. Add the shrimp and continue bashing. Add the crushed peanuts and mix well.
7. Add the shredded papaya and continue bashing, but not too hard. Just enough so the mixture soaks up the flavours. Use a bigger spoon as a support tool, that way you can shift the salad in the mortar and it doesn’t fall out while bashing and mixing.
8. Add the liquid palm sugar, tomatoes, beans, lime juice and fish sauce. Continue to lightly bash, shift with the spoon, and mix a little more.
9. Serve on a big dish or bowl, sprinkle some crushed peanuts on top if you’d like.