Green papaya salad is a spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya, which used local fruits and vegetables such as green (unripe) mango or cucumbers as the main ingredient, seasoned to a primarily sour flavour. Originating from ethnic Lao people, it is also eaten throughout Southeast Asia. Locally known in Thailand as som tam.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups julienned green papaya
•  2 cloves garlic
• Tamarind Thai chilies, to taste 
• 1 ½ Tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
• 2-3 long beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 Tbsp roasted peanuts (see note)
• 1 heaping Tbsp small dried shrimp, roughly chop if you have large ones
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (see note)
• 2 tsp tamarind juice (what is tamarind?)
• 1 ½ Tbsp fish sauce
• ½ cup grape tomato halves or a small tomato cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Drain the soaked papaya well and place in a bowl lined with 2 layers of paper towel to absorb excess water. You want to have as little water on the papaya as possible so as to not dilute the dressing.
2. In a large mortar and pestle, pound garlic and chilies until there are no more big chunks (pieces of chili skin are fine).
3. Add palm sugar and mash with the pestle until it turns into a wet paste and all the chunks are dissolved.
4. Add long beans and pound just until they’re broken.
5. Add dried shrimp and peanuts and pound to break the peanuts up slightly.
6. Add fish sauce, tamarind juice, and lime juice, adding the squeezed lime skin into the mortar as well for extra lime fragrance. Stir with a large spoon to mix and dissolve the sugar.
7. Add shredded papaya and tomatoes, and mix using the pound-and-flip method. Once everything looks well mixed and the tomatoes are just slightly crushed, it's done!
8. Plate and sprinkle with the remaining peanuts.