Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

Ingredients

• 4 cups worth of Green Papaya
• 6 Green Beans ((Or long beans))
• 6 Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 large Clove of Garlic ((Or 2 small cloves))
• 1 Tablespoon Roasted Salted Peanuts
• 2 Bird's Eye Chili ((Or 1 Serrano Chili))
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Shrimp
• 1/2 teaspoon Brown Sugar ((Or White Sugar))
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce ((Use 1.5 Tablespoons if you like fish sauce))
• 2-3 pinches Salt ((Optional, season to taste))

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Make Dressing ---

2. 2

   Use a mortar and pestle to grind the following ingredients: Garlic (1 Large Clove), Roasted Peanut (1 Tablespoon), Chopped Bird's Eye Chili Pepper (1-2 Chili Peppers), Dried Shrimp (1 Tablespoon) and Brown Sugar (1/2 teaspoon). Give it a good pounding so the oils seep out of each ingredient and mix with each other. (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, use a sturdy mixing bowl and a rolling pin -- or blitz everything in a blender).

3. 3

   To the mix, add in Fresh Lime Juice (2 Tablespoons). Then add in the Fish Sauce (1 Tablespoon). Mix everything together. Give it a taste.

4. 4

   --- Prep Fresh Ingredients ---

5. 5

   Use your knife to chop-up the green papaya. Then slice off small strips (reference video). You want enough papaya strips to fill 4 standard cups.

6. 6

   Then bring a pot of water up to boil. Blanche the green beans for 1 minute. Rinse under cold water and cool them down. Then cut into bite-sized pieces.

7. 7

   Take stems off the cherry tomatoes. Then cut each in half. We're ready to get our salad on now...

8. 8

   --- Make Salad. ---

9. 9

   Add cherry tomatoes to the other sauce ingredients. Use your pestle to gently mash the cherry tomatoes - just enough to release the juices.

10. 10

    Then add in the green beans. Followed by 4 cups of papaya strips.

11. 11

    Now mix everything together. We find it helpful to use a soupe ladle along with a pestle. Slightly mash everything together, scoop up the bottom pieces and repeat. Do this until the flavors soak into the papaya strips.

12. 12

    Finish the salad with a few pinches of salt. Give it a final taste. Now if you need, add slightly more fish sauce, lime juice, or salt.

13. 13

    Garnish with chopped peanuts. Plate and enjoy. Bon Appetit!