Served on 4/8/2011
Ingredients:
green papayas, shredded
lime juice
cilantro
Thai chili peppers
fish sauce
sesame oil
honey
shallots
black peppers
Green papaya salad is a Thai dish that is all of sour, salty, sweet, and spicy. The green papaya is not the sweet and flavorful fruit that many may expect. Instead, it’s rather tart and does not have a distinct flavor by itself (think cucumber). It is large and unwieldy. Luckily, you can usually find them pre-shredded in Asian supermarkets. I found my batch freshly shredded in my local 99 Ranch Market. No shredding necessary – by any means.
Once we have the shredded papaya, we will make the sauce/dressing next.
Dressing:
Remember, our goal is for it to be savory, sweet, sour, and spicy all at the same time.
- T
he sourness will come from the lime juice, which will be about 80% of the sauce. Trust me, use freshly squeezed lime juice (better yet, do it yourself!), it will make all of the difference in the world. - The sweetness comes from the honey. It is not meant to be overpowering, so I’d usually do a table spoon of it for every 7 – 8 cups of lime juice. You can use other sweeteners too.
- The saltiness comes from the fish sauce. Like many ingredients in the recipe, it can be found in Asian markets. It is very strong, and I’d use about the same amount as the honey.
- The spiciness is from the Thai chili peppers. These green little suckers pack a punch, so use them at your discretion.
Throw the mix in a blender with some cilantros and sesame oil, and hit the button for a “rough chop”. Blend for a few seconds and it’s ready! The aroma from the lime juice will steal the show!
To be continued next, shallot croutons….
Pictures taken of Adelaide Marcus:
www.artbyadelaide.com
www.theshimmysisters.com
