Pounded Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam Thai)

⏱ 25 min · Serves 4

Crunchy shreds of green papaya bruised in a mortar with lime, palm sugar, fish sauce and chilli, studded with toasted peanuts and blistered-sweet cherry tomatoes. Sharp, sweet, salty and fiery all at once — and it comes together in under half an hour.

Per serving: 215 kcal · 10.0g protein · 25.0g carbs · 10.0g fat

Ingredients

• 500g green (unripe) papaya, peeled and seeded (about 1 small papaya)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2-4 red bird's eye chillies, to taste
• 2 tbsp palm sugar, chopped (or light brown sugar)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 80g green beans or snake beans, trimmed and cut into 4cm lengths
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 60g roasted unsalted peanuts
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp (optional)
• 1 small carrot, peeled (optional, for colour)
• Wedge of white cabbage and a few sprigs of Thai basil, to serve

Method

1. Shred the papaya: use a julienne peeler or coarse box grater to make long thin strips, or hold the peeled papaya and tap-chop it repeatedly with a heavy knife, then shave off the shreds. Do the same with the carrot if using. Soak the shreds in iced water for 10 minutes, then drain very well and pat dry — this makes them extra crisp.
2. Toast the peanuts in a dry pan for 3-4 minutes until fragrant; tip out and roughly crush half of them. If using dried shrimp, rinse and pat dry.
3. In a large mortar (or a sturdy bowl with the end of a rolling pin), pound the garlic and chillies to a rough paste.
4. Add the palm sugar and pound until dissolved, then stir in the fish sauce and lime juice. Taste: it should be aggressively sour, salty and sweet.
5. Add the green beans and pound lightly, 4-5 bruising taps, just to crack them open. Add the tomatoes and press gently so they release juice.
6. Add the dried shrimp, crushed peanuts and the papaya (and carrot). Now use a spoon in one hand and the pestle in the other: pound gently while turning and lifting the salad, about 20 times, until the shreds are softened and coated but still crunchy. Work in two batches if your mortar is small.
7. Taste and adjust with more lime, fish sauce or sugar. Pile onto a plate, scatter with the remaining whole peanuts and serve immediately with cabbage wedges and Thai basil, plus sticky rice or grilled chicken if you like.