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Papaya Salad

This fresh, spicy, and funky salad is famous in Thailand. If you can find unripe papaya, try using it to help make this unique and flavorful salad dish at home.
The following recipe provides 4-6 servings of salad.

Ingredients

  • 3 fresh bird’s eye chili peppers, (finely sliced)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, (finely minced)
  • 1 Tbsp of dried shrimp
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Zest from 2 lime
  • Juice from 2 limes
  • 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 Tbsp honey-roasted peanuts, (chopped)
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, (medium dice)
  • ¼ tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 unripe green papaya, peeled and seeds discarded, (cut using the fine julienne attachment on a mandolin)
  • 1 large carrot, (peeled and cut using the fine julienne attachment on a mandolin)
  • 1 head of Boston lettuce, (for lining your serving bowls)
  • 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, (roughly chopped, as garnish)
  • 4-6 wedges of lime, (as garnish)

Instructions 

  • Use a mortar and pestle to mash together the bird’s eye chili peppers, garlic, dried shrimp, red pepper flakes, lime zest, lime juice, white granulated sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and chopped peanuts.
  • Stir to mix the ingredients together well.
  • Lightly salt the diced tomatoes, and allow them to drain in a separate bowl for 10 minutes.
  • Drain the water from the tomatoes, and add the drained tomatoes and the mixture that you created in the mortar and pestle to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the julienne cut papaya and carrots, and mix well.
  • When you are ready to serve, line your serving bowls with Boston lettuce leaves.
  • Serve papaya salad on top of the lettuce leaf beds.
  • Garnish with fresh cilantro and extra wedges of lime.

Notes

You can prepare the individual salad components in advance of assembly.