Thai Green Papaya Salad
User Reviews
4.9
Thai Green Papaya Salad
Description
This salad starts by pounding garlic with salt in a mortar and pestle to soften it. Cherry tomatoes, dried prawns, a slice of lime, toasted peanuts, and snake beans are lightly crushed along with the garlic to blend flavors. The shredded green papaya is then added and bruised just enough to mingle ingredients without making it mushy.
The dressing consists of palm sugar, lime juice, tamarind water made from soaked tamarind paste, fish sauce, and chili powder, all added gradually to taste to achieve a sweet, sour, spicy, and salty balance. The result is a fresh, crunchy salad with complex flavors characteristic of Thai cuisine.
The tamarind water preparation involves soaking paste in warm water, mashing and straining to extract sour juice used here to add acidity and depth. The combination of ingredients yields a layered flavor profile that complements the crisp texture of the green papaya and crunchy additions.
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic to taste, peeled
- pinch salt sea salt
- 2-4 Thai bird chili to taste
- 5 cherry tomato
- 1 tablespoon dried prawns soaked and drained
- 1 lice of lime
- 1 tablespoon peanuts toasted
- 1/4 cup snake beans cut to 4 cm/ 1 ½ inch pieces
- 2 cups green papaya shredded
- 3 tablespoons palm sugar
- 4 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons tamarind water
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- chili powder large pinch
Instructions
How To Make the Green Papaya Salad:
- In a mortar & pestle pound the garlic with salt.
- Cut the tomatoes in half then toss into the mortar and crush with pestle along with the dried prawns, lime slice, peanuts and snake beans.
- Add the green papaya and bruise – do not over work.
- Season with palm sugar, lime juice, tamarind water, fish sauce and chilli powder – initially only use about 2/3s of each. Adding more as needed to hone and finish the seasoning.
- It should taste sweet and sour, hot then salty.
Tamarind water method:
- Soak equal parts tamarind paste into warm water. Allow to soak 10 minutes.
- Using your fingers, mash the tamarind well into the water until it feels completely soft.
- Next, strain the tamarind water into a fresh bowl and squeeze out as much extract from the pulp as possible. The tamarind water is now ready for use in curries and many other things that require a tangy or sour flavour.
Notes
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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