This salad is a staple in any SE Asian household. It varies by country and even province. Some make it super spicy, some make it sweet, some make it extra fishy. But I love the way my mom makes it. It has the perfect balance of spicy, sour, sweet and fishiness. It's great with sticky rice, vermicelli noodles or pork rinds or ALL OF THE ABOVE! It's a great side to any BBQ.
Ingredients:
1 Green Papaya
3 Thai Chilis (more or less depending on spice level)
3 cloves of Garlic
1 tbsp Shrimp Paste
1 tbsp of Fish Sauce
2 tbsp of Sugar
12 Cherry Tomatoes halved
1/2 of juice of lime
Instructions:
Peel the papaya and shred into thin pieces, set aside.
Using a Mortar and Pestle, add in the chili, garlic and shrimp paste and pound until a paste is formed.
Add in the fish sauce, sugar, juice of lime and cherry tomatoes and lightly pound to release the tomato juice and to mix all the ingredients together.
Add in the desired about of papaya (or enough that will not overflow the mortar, and lightly pound and mix until fully saturated.
Taste and adjust accordingly. It could need more fish sauce, or if you want it more tangy add in more lime etc.
Transfer to a bowl and serve with sticky rice!
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