Spicy Green Papaya Salad

(1)
"This is one of my favourite salads: amazing on its own, or as part of a Thai style spread. If you can’t get your hands on a green papaya, just use a normal one, or even a firm mango works well too. You can omit the fish sauce and shrimps to make this a vegan salad."
-- @mymuybueno
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  • Recipe Card
Prep time: 15mins
Cook time: 10mins
Serves or Makes: 4

Recipe Card

ingredients

  • 4 tbsp dried baby shrimps
  • 50 gram peanuts
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 red bird’s eye chilli, roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp palm sugar, grated
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 15 green beans, trimmed
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 medium green papaya, peeled and deseeded then finely sliced
  • handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped
  • handful of fresh Thai basil, roughly chopped
  • handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • 1 lime, quartered

Method

  • Step 1

    Soak the dried baby shrimps in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain them. Meanwhile, toast the peanuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden brown, then set aside to cool.

  • Step 2

    Place the soaked shrimps and half the toasted peanuts in a food processor along with the garlic, ginger, lime juice, chilli, palm sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce and tamarind paste. Blitz until everything has blended into a loose paste.

  • Step 3

    Place the green beans, tomatoes and papaya into a large bowl. Mix the paste through the salad until it coats the beans, tomatoes and papaya well. Mix the herbs through the salad.

  • Step 4

    Scatter the remaining toasted peanuts over the top, and squeeze over some extra lime juice to taste before serving.