Thai Green Papaya Salad with Lime and Peanuts

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This vibrant Thai green papaya salad balances sour lime, salty fish sauce, sweet palm sugar, and fiery bird's eye chilies in every bite. It comes together in minutes once your papaya is shredded, making it a perfect refreshing side for grilled meats or a light standalone lunch.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 180 kcalCalories
• 8 gFat
• 1 gSaturated Fat
• 22 gCarbs
• 4 gFiber
• 14 gSugar
• 6 gProtein
• 780 mgSodium
• 340 mgPotassium
• 55 mgCalcium
• 1.4 mgIron
• 75 mgVitamin C
• 1180 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the salad

• 1 medium green papaya (about 600 g), peeled and shredded
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup Chinese long beans (or green beans), cut into 2.5 cm pieces
• 1 small Thai shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons dried shrimp, rinsed (optional)
• 1/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly crushed

For the dressing

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar, finely chopped (or brown sugar)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3–5 Thai bird's eye chilies, to taste
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Prepare the green papaya by peeling it with a vegetable peeler, halving it lengthwise, and scraping out the seeds. Shred the flesh using a julienne peeler, mandoline, or large box grater until you have about 4 cups of fine strands.
2. Toast the peanuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until golden and fragrant, then set aside to cool before roughly crushing them with a mortar or the back of a knife.
3. Make the dressing: in a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and water until the sugar is fully dissolved. Set aside.
4. In a large clay mortar (or sturdy bowl), pound the garlic, chilies, and sliced shallot together with a firm downward motion for about 30 seconds until they break down into a coarse paste.
5. Add the cherry tomatoes and long beans to the mortar and gently bruise them with 3–4 light pestle presses so they crack open and release their juices without turning to mush.
6. Pour the prepared dressing over the mortar mixture and toss with the shredded papaya using a spoon or salad tongs until everything is evenly coated and glossy.
7. Taste and adjust the balance: add more lime juice for sourness, fish sauce for saltiness, or palm sugar for sweetness until the four flavor pillars are harmonized to your liking.
8. Transfer the salad to a serving plate or four individual bowls, then sprinkle the crushed roasted peanuts generously over the top.
9. Serve immediately alongside sticky rice, grilled chicken, or satay for an authentic Thai meal.

Cook’s Notes

• Choose a firm, fully unripe green papaya with smooth green skin; ripe yellow papaya will turn mushy and overly sweet.
• Adjust the chili quantity gradually — Thai bird's eye chilies are extremely potent, so start with one and work up.
• For the most authentic texture and flavor, use a clay mortar and pestle to bruise rather than shred the ingredients.
• Balance is everything: the classic Thai flavor profile should hit sour, salty, sweet, and spicy in roughly equal measure.
• Serve immediately after tossing, as the papaya releases water and the salad loses its crisp crunch if left to sit.

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