Green Papaya Salad

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic
• 1-2 red Thai bird's eye chilies
• 2 tablespoons dried shrimp
• Thai palm sugar ( to taste)
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
• 6 oz (170g) green papaya strands
• 6 cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
• 1/3 cup long green beans (cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) lengths)
• fresh lime juice (to taste)
• fish sauce (to taste)

Steps

1. 1

   Pound the garlic and bird’s eye chilies until they form a smooth paste.

2. 2

   Add the dried shrimp and pound until the pieces are broken up, but not completely pulverized.

3. 3

   Add the palm sugar (cut into small pieces), maybe 2-3 teaspoons at first. More to taste later.

4. 4

   Add the peanuts and lightly pound them until they are broken into tiny pieces, but be careful not to crush them into a thick paste.

5. 5

   Add the green beans and crush them with the mortar until they’re splitting and lightly bruised.

6. 6

   Add the papaya and tomatoes, then pound them gently to bruise them. The goal is to crush the tomatoes slightly so they release their juices, enhancing both flavor and color.

7. 7

   Add a couple of teaspoons of fish sauce and a couple of teaspoons of lime juice to the mix.

8. 8

   Have a large spoon in one hand to help flip things over and scrape down the sides of the mortar, while using your other hand to pound away with the pestle.

9. 9

   Continue pounding and flipping for a few seconds. Add more fish sauce, lime juice, or palm sugar as needed.

10. 10

    Dish out and serve immediately.