Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk together 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce such as nam pla, 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon palm sugar, and 2 tablespoons tiny dried shrimp in a large bowl. Add 1 peeled and very thinly sliced shallot and 1 fresh Thai chile, thinly sliced crosswise, and let stand for 15 minutes, then add 1/2 green papaya, peeled, seeded, and julienned, and 1 peeled and julienned medium carrot and let stand for 15 minutes to 30 minutes longer. Tear 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves and 1/4 cup cilantro leaves; crush 1/4 cup peanuts. Stir herbs and nuts into salad. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chile so there is a proper balance of hot, sour, salty, and sweet. Serve immediately.
Ingredients
Step 2
Green papaya can be found in most Asian markets. The flesh should be pale green and the seeds should be white. If the flesh is not green and the seeds are gray or black, the papaya is too ripe and will be too sweet. As a substitute, try a combination of julienned carrot, jícama, and Belgian endive.
Step 3
Palm sugar, from the Palmyra palm or the date palm, is golden brown in color and sold in many guises (most often in blocks or tins or as a paste in tubes). It is available at Asian markets. Light brown sugar can be substituted.
Step 4
Dried shrimp are used in Asian and Latin American cooking. Look for them in Asian markets.
