Green Papaya Salad

Dan & I have acquired a taste for the classic Thai Green Papaya Salad, and it's even helping us warm up to papaya (which I used to think tasted like feet). It was no surprise that Dan put it on our meal plan for this week. The only problem was finding green papaya, red chilies and shrimp paste, which wasn't available from our usual source.

But while we were down at Southcenter yesterday for lunch, we swung by Seafood City (a Filipino Superstore) and they had everything we needed.

I ended up using 3 red chilies, and thought it could still use some red pepper flakes. But we tend to like things spicy.

Green Papaya Salad
1 small green papaya, or 1/2 large (your papaya should be very firm, the flesh white to light orange in color)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1-2 cups bean sprouts
1 to 2 tomatoes, cut into long thin strips
1 red chili, minced (seeds removed if you prefer a milder salad)
3 green onions, sliced into long matchstick-like pieces
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large
1 lb peeled, cooked shrimp

DRESSING:
1/2 tsp. shrimp paste
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 to 1 Tbsp. liquid honey

Prepare the dressing by mixing together all dressing ingredients together in a cup. Make sure shrimp paste and honey dissolve fully. Set aside. Peel the green papaya, then slice it in half and remove all the seeds. Using the largest grater you have, grate the papaya (or you can use a potato peeler to create thin, ribbon-like strips). Place in a large bowl. Add the sliced tomato, onion, chili, bean sprouts, and basil. Add the dressing, tossing to combine. Add the peanuts and shrimp. Toss again. Taste-test the salad. If not sweet enough, add a little more honey. If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. If too sweet or salty, add more lime juice. If you prefer it spicier, add more fresh-cut chili or dried crushed chili.



(Recipe courtesy About.com)