Thai Green Papaya Salad (No Mortar Required)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A crunchy, no-cook Thai salad built on shredded green papaya, lime, palm sugar and chili. You don't need a clay mortar or a special shredder: a box grater or julienne peeler handles the papaya, and a mixing bowl plus the back of a wooden spoon does the bruising that makes the dressing soak in. If green papaya isn't at your market, a cabbage-and-carrot swap gets you 90% of the way there.

Ingredients

• 3 clove garlic, peeled
• 2 Thai bird's eye chilies (or 1 serrano), stemmed
• 3 tbsp palm sugar, chopped, or light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
• 3 tbsp vegan fish sauce, or 2 tbsp soy sauce plus 1 tsp rice vinegar (or regular fish sauce if not vegetarian)
• 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate (optional, for depth)

• 1 green (unripe) papaya, about 1.5 lb, peeled and seeded — or 4 cups shredded green cabbage plus 1 cup extra carrot as a swap
• 1 large carrot, peeled
• 4 oz green beans or long beans, trimmed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

• 1/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely crushed
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1/4 cup Thai basil or mint leaves, torn
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• Green cabbage wedges and sticky rice, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Shred the papaya. Peel the green papaya with a vegetable peeler, halve it lengthwise and scrape out the pale seeds and any soft core. Then use whichever tool you have: run the flesh down the large holes of a box grater at a steep angle for long strands, or drag a julienne peeler along the length of each half in overlapping strokes. You want roughly 5 to 6 cups of loose, matchstick-thin shreds. Shred the carrot the same way. (Swap route: shred 4 cups green cabbage as thinly as you can with a knife and use 2 large carrots total.)
2. Soak the shreds in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes while you make the dressing — this firms them up and makes them audibly crisp. Drain very well and spin dry in a salad spinner or blot with a clean towel; wet shreds dilute the dressing.
3. Make the dressing without a mortar: mince the garlic and chilies together on a cutting board, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the palm sugar and drag the flat of your knife across the pile 8 to 10 times until it turns into a rough paste. Scrape it into a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the remaining palm sugar to the bowl with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice and mash with the back of a sturdy wooden spoon for about 1 minute, until the sugar dissolves into a syrup. Stir in the rest of the lime juice, the vegan fish sauce (or soy and vinegar), and the tamarind if using. Taste: it should hit sour first, then salty, then sweet, with heat trailing behind. Adjust with lime, sauce or sugar a teaspoon at a time.
5. Bruise the vegetables, mortar-free. Cut the green beans into 2-inch lengths and drop them into the dressing bowl along with the halved tomatoes. Press and roll them against the side of the bowl with the back of the wooden spoon 15 to 20 times, just until the beans crack open and the tomatoes release their juice. Do not pulverize them.
6. Add the drained papaya and carrot shreds and the scallions. Toss with two hands or tongs, lifting from the bottom, for a full minute — then press down on the pile with the spoon a few times, toss again, and repeat once. This gentle bruising drives the dressing into the shreds and softens them slightly while keeping the crunch.
7. Let the salad sit 10 minutes at room temperature so the flavors marry, then taste one more time and correct the lime and salt; papaya soaks up seasoning as it rests.
8. Fold in half the peanuts, the cilantro and the Thai basil. Pile onto a platter or shallow bowls, scatter the remaining peanuts over the top, and serve right away with lime wedges, cabbage wedges for scooping, and sticky rice if you like.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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