Quick & Easy Papaya Salad Recipe

Cambodians call it bok lahong.  Laos call it tam som or tam maak hoong. Thais call it som tam. Vietnamese calls it goi du du. (I may be butchering the spelling. Apologies if I am!) However you call it, they all mean the same thing in English… papaya salad. And we all need a quick & easy papaya salad recipe.

What is papaya salad?  It is a spicy salad made with shredded unripe green papaya and various other vegetables and herbs, depending on who makes it.  It is unclear where this salad originates from.  If you ask a Lao person, he/she will say it came from Laos.  If you ask a Thai person, he/she will say it came from Thailand.  And so on and so forth.  One thing is for certain though… It is definitely a Southeast Asian dish.

There are so many recipes for papaya salad and I’ve tried a lot of them.  Of the ones I’ve tried, my good friend, Srey, makes it best (in my opinion) and it’s so simple to make. 

Srey originally learned how to make papaya salad from her Cambodian mother.  Her partner is Irish-American and his palate cannot handle too much spice.  She fine-tuned her mother’s recipe to make it more gentle on the palate.  Something I really appreciate since my boys are not too adventurous either.

I’ve asked for the recipe for some time now, but she could never provide me one.  She’s one of those cooks that do not measure when she cooks. She’s an eye-baller!  A little bit of this.  A handful of that.  A smidge of this.  A scoop of that. As much as it bugged me, I couldn’t complain because I’m the same way.  Whenever anyone asks for a recipe, I really have to think about it and write it down as I go.

So let’s get to Srey’s quick and easy papaya salad recipe…

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Quick & Easy Papaya Salad Recipe

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of dried shrimp – soaked for 10-15 min and drained
• Juice of 3 whole limes – save the leftover skin for cleaning later
• 1 green non-ripe papaya – peeled and shredded (see picture above)
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes – cut into halves
• 1 1/2 cups of green string beans – cut into 2” pieces
• 1 whole head of cabbage – cut into quarters or wedges
• 4 peeled garlic cloves
• 2 Thai chili pepper (green or red) – if you like it spicy, you can add more
• 1/2 cup fermented fish or mudfish sauce (See picture below under Instructions)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• A few wedges of lime to garnish
• Small bunch of Thai basil, Italian basil, or mint leaves to garnish

Instructions:

• 1. Before you prepare your vegetables, start soaking your dried shrimp in a bowl for 10-15 minutes. Drain it while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.
• 2. Extract the juice of your limes and save the leftover skin. You will use this later to help clean out your saucepan.
• 3. Shred your papaya and set aside.  (I like using a thin julienne shredder to help get my papaya shreds just right.  Here is a cheaper alternative that will give you the same results. Otherwise, a regular grater will work too. You’ll just end up with bigger julienne shreds.)
• 4. Cut and prepare the rest of your vegetables and garnish – cherry tomatoes, green string beans, cabbage, garlic, Thai chili peppers, lime wedges, and choice of basil or mint to garnish.
• 5. In a small saucepan, on low heat, cook your fermented fish sauce (see picture below) until it boils for a couple of minutes. This will cook out the pungent fish scent and aftertaste. Pour the sauce into a bowl and set aside. Soak your saucepan right away with hot water, soap, and the leftover skin of those limes you juiced earlier.  The sooner you soak your pan, the quicker you will get rid of the smell. Trust me on this.  (NOTE: Fermented fish sauce is completely different from fish sauce. Fermented fish sauce is thick and copious.  Regular fish sauce is thin and translucent.)

1. 6. In a large, deep mortar and pestle, pound your peeled garlic cloves and chili pepper. Add this mix to your bowl of cooked fermented fish sauce. Add sugar and mix it all together. Taste it.  If it is too salty, add more sugar.  Do not add any salt. The fermented fish sauce is plenty salty. Spice and season it as desired.  Keep in mind you will add lime juice later.  Set this bowl aside.
3. 7. Add your dried shrimps in the mortar and pestle and pound it to soften the shrimp. Do not turn it into mush. Add shredded papaya, green string beans, and cherry tomatoes.  Use a long spoon to mix everything in the mortar, then pound everything up until “al-dente” (for lack of a better term!).  Then add the fermented fish sauce mix (a couple of spoonful at a time) and use your pestle or spoon to mix it well with your veggies. You do not need to pound anything at this point.  Once mixed, use your clean (and gloved) hands to manually mix and massage in the flavors. Now add your lime juice and toss it all together.

8. Serve your papaya salad with your cabbage wedges. Garnish with basil or mint leaves and lime wedges.

9. Use your cabbage leaves to scoop up your papaya salad and enjoy the spicy, tangy goodness you’ve just created. Serve this with your choice of grilled or fried protein and rice or noodles. Don’t forget your tall glass of water. Enjoy! ☺

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Stay healthy. Stay Warm. Stay Safe.

Peace & Blessings to you all!

Bahry & The Boys