Thai Green Papaya Salad: The Perfect Summer Food
On hot summer days, all I want is something cold, like a delicious Thai green papaya salad. I want cold breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with plenty of cold beverages throughout the day. I realize that this is very un-Asian of me. My parents still yell at me whenever I eat cold foods. They say it will give me arthritis when I grow older. Yeah…..
Salads definitely fit the bill and hit the spot on a hot summer day. But I get so tired of eating the same lettuce based salads with vinaigrette dressing. Bleh. Ever feel like you are in a salad rut? That’s why I am so excited to post this recipe for a Thai green papaya salad. It is a different kind of salad because it tastes rich at the same time that it is light and healthy. I love Thai food because of its complexity in flavor combinations and textures. Most Thai dishes have a delicate balance of savory, sour, sweet, and spicy. This mixture tantalizes your taste buds and keeps you coming back for more after every bite.
For other cold summer dishes, check out my recipe for: pina colada yogurt and Healthy caesar salad
What is Green Papaya?
Green papaya is such a wonderful base for a salad because it has very little flavor of its own beside a clean fresh taste. It is essentially unripened papaya. Whereas ripe papaya is sweet and has a strong flavor, green papaya is clean and bland in flavor. Its texture is also very crunchy, unlike ripe papaya, which is soft.
How do I cook with Green Papaya?
Green papaya is a chameleon that changes its flavor profile based on what is in its environment. It should be eaten raw, thinly sliced, and marinated in some acidic sauce. You can make green papaya into sweet and sour pickles for Vietnamese bun cha, a northern Vietnamese vermicelli noodle dish with barbecue meats and fish sauce. You can also make it the base of Thai green papaya salad or Vietnamese green papaya salad.
What is the difference between Thai and Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad?
The main difference between Vietnamese and Thai papaya salad is the method of preparation and choice of flavors. Both are delicious of course, but I chose the Thai route because I was craving a sour punch to my dinner tonight.
How to Make Thai Green Papaya Salad
Thai green papaya salad is essentially pounded into and marinated with limes, garlic, chili, and dried shrimp to create a flavor explosion in your mouth. You traditionally make Thai green papaya salad with mortar and pestle. You start by grinding together your aromatics and herbs first. Once that forms a nice paste, you begin pounding that flavor into the shredded papaya. The end result is a juicy, messy, delicious mix.
How to Make Vietnamese green papaya salad
Vietnamese green papaya salad involves no pounding at all. It is still shredded finely, but served plain. A sweet vinegary soy sauce dressing then drenches the shredded papaya, and then it is then topped with fresh basil, sweet and savory beef jerky, and freshly roasted peanuts.
Can I make Thai green papaya salad ahead of time?
The longer you have Thai green papaya salad sitting in its own juices, the tastier it becomes! It can keep in the refrigerator for 2 days! The flavors really develop and meld together after sitting overnight. I’ve seen this served with some boiled shrimp at Thai restaurants for some added protein.
Only put peanuts on to the specific portions you plan on eating. Adding peanuts to all of your papaya salad will lead to soggy peanuts the next day.
What equipment do I need to slice the green papaya?
Invest in a mandolin or some kind of food processor that has a shredder attachment. You won’t be sorry. This will open up a world of possibilities in terms of expanding your experience with fresh veggies. I much prefer eating raw veggies when they are cut finely and allowed to marinade in something delicious.
What if I do not own a mortar and pestle?
If you do not own a mortar and pestle, use a food processor to blend the garlic, shrimp, chile, sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce. Then use your hands to punch and squeeze the papaya salad into the lemon juice mixture. Just remember to wear sanitary cooking gloves while you do this; otherwise, your skin will become irritated from the acidity of the lime juice and chili.
Can I make this dish if I am vegetarian?
If you want to make this dish vegetarian, just omit the dried shrimp and substitute salt for the fish sauce. Make sure to taste as you go to adjust for seasonings.
Price Comparison
So let’s run the totals. The amount of Thai green papaya salad that I made was enough for 4-6 people. I spent the following: green papaya ($3), dried shrimp ($.25), garlic ($.33), limes ($2), cherry tomatoes ($2), green beans ($.50), peanuts ($.25), fish sauce ($.25), Thai bird chile ($.25).
Restaurant ($10) vs. Home-made ($2.13).
Thai green papaya salad is so easy to make that I would highly encourage you to make it at home instead of ordering it at a restaurant. Given the price markup when you order it out, let’s be kind to your bank account. Save restaurant outings to really complicated foods that you can’t make easily at home, e.g., dim sum, almost any Vietnamese noodle soup, or mole. I almost never make pho because it is so labor-intensive and requires so many ingredients.
Thai green papaya salad
Equipment
- mandonlin or food processor with julienne attachment
Ingredients
- 1 medium green papaya finely shredded into 3-inch long pieces
- 1/3 cup dried shrimp toasted
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pinch red chili flake or 1 Thai bird chili to taste, crushed
- juice of 4 limes freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup fish sauce to taste
- 1 tbsp white sugar or to taste
- 1 cup tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup green beans cut into 2-inch pieces and sliced lengthwisehalf
- 1 cup toasted
Instructions
- Prepare papaya by peeling the skin off, cutting in half length-wise, and scooping out all the seeds. Using a mandolin, shredder, or food processor with shredding attachment, cut papaya into very thin julienne slices approximately 3-inches in length. Set aside.
- Using mortar and pestle or food processor, grind together dried shrimp, garlic, red chili flake, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice.
- Place shredded papaya into a large mixing bowl. Pour sauce mixture into papaya salad and mix into papaya salad. Wearing gloves, use hands to squeeze papaya and pound it with your fist. This will help to enhance absorption of flavor and sauce.
- Then add in green beans and cherry tomatoes and continue to squeeze and pound until all tomatoes are slightly crushed.
- Serve a portion onto a plate and top with roasted peanuts. (Only put peanuts onto the specific portions you plan on eating.)
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