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5.0 from 12 votes

Lao green papaya salad

A classic side for Laos and Thai food, this easy salad is a delicious mix of sweet and spicy.

Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
Servings: 2 -4
Calories: 116 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Thai , Laos

Ingredients

  • 10 ½ oz papaya approx, unripe/green ideally, or unripe mango
  • 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
  • 1 teaspoon padaek optional, see notes
  • 2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 red chili roughly chopped (or more/less to taste, see notes)
  • 8 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 lime juice ie from 1 lime
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Peel and deseed the papaya and cut into matchstick pieces (either with a mandolin or roughly by hand).
  2. Ideally with a pestle and mortar, crush together the shrimp paste, padaek if using, sugar, garlic and chili until the garlic and chili are largely a paste. Halve the cherry tomatoes and crush them slightly with the garlic-chili paste so that they are breaking up slightly but not falling apart.
  3. Add the lime juice and fish sauce, pour over the papaya and mix through. Check the taste and add a little more lime juice or fish sauce, to taste.

Notes

  • If you can find padaek, then it's worth adding around ½ - 1tsp to the sauce for a traditional deeper, umami flavor.
  • The chili used is traditionally a red Thai chili which is relatively spicy. If you are less into spice, you can reduce the heat a bit using eg serrano instead.

Nutrition Information

Calories 116kcal (6%) Carbohydrates 26g (9%) Protein 3g (6%) Cholesterol 28mg (9%) Sodium 345mg (14%) Potassium 491mg (14%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 19g (38%) Vitamin A 1960IU (39%) Vitamin C 143.5mg (159%) Calcium 47mg (5%) Iron 1.2mg (7%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2-4

Amount Per Serving

Calories 116

% Daily Value*

Calories 116kcal 6%
Carbohydrates 26g 9%
Protein 3g 6%
Cholesterol 28mg 9%
Sodium 345mg 14%
Potassium 491mg 10%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 19g 38%
Vitamin A 1960IU 39%
Vitamin C 143.5mg 159%
Calcium 47mg 5%
Iron 1.2mg 7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.