Green papaya salad

Ingredients

For 4 servings.

1 cup = 240 ml; 1 tablespoon = 15 ml; 1 teaspoon = 5 ml. Use metric quantities where stated. Times and servings are indicative.

• 500 g peeled green papaya, shredded
• 400 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 20 Asian yardlong beans in 5 cm lengths
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• Up to 6 small chillies, to taste
• 6 tbsp dried shrimp
• 1 cup loosely packed grated palm sugar
• 120 ml lime juice and 120 ml fish sauce
• 1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves

Step-by-step method

1. Peel and deseed papaya; shred its flesh finely. Prepare beans and tomatoes.
2. Coarsely crush peanuts in a mortar and set aside.
3. Pound garlic and chilli; add dried shrimp and pound briefly again.
4. Mix sugar, lime and fish sauce until the sugar dissolves. Add to the mortar.
5. Add beans and lightly pound to soften; add tomatoes and press just enough to release some juice.
6. Toss papaya and most peanuts with the dressing, using a spoon and pestle without crushing the shreds.
7. Divide among plates, add basil and remaining peanuts and serve immediately.