Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Green Papaya Salad Recipe
Listed in CNN Journey’s High 50 Meals of the World, Inexperienced Papaya Salad is all the pieces you realize and love about South-East Asian salads. This Thai salad – referred to as Som Tum – is a riot of recent colors and crunchy textures, delivered to life with a signature sour-sweet-savoury dressing spiked with a whack of recent chilli. Now THIS is what I name a salad!!!
And … welcome to THAI WEEK!
Every so often, I love to do a recipe theme week. This week it’s THAI week, with three traditional recipes to make your very personal Thai feast at house:
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Thai Yellow Curry – Made out of scratch, that is flavour you actually can’t purchase in a jar!
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Inexperienced Papaya Salad (this recipe) – Nice as facet, but substantial sufficient as a starter.
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Thai Black Sticky Rice Pudding for dessert! It’s laborious to consider you may make one thing so scrumptious that’s essentially, made with simply rice, water and sugar…
It is a salad that’s about so far as you will get from Western salads. No mayo! No oil within the dressing!
It’s a zingy and spicy chilly salad made with inexperienced papaya, a fruit which could be unfamiliar to most Westerners. Inexperienced papaya is solely unripened papaya, and has a juicy and barely crunchy texture with a impartial style. Extra on inexperienced papaya under, together with a shock substitution possibility!
When shredded, flavour clings to the inexperienced papaya. The tangle of threads turns into the proper car for carrying the kaleidoscope of tastes within the dressing: sweetness from palm sugar, salty savouriness from the fish sauce and dried shrimp, recent tang from lime, and fiery pungency from a beneficiant one-two punch of garlic and chilli.
Originating from Laos, variations of Inexperienced Papaya Salad will be present in international locations throughout South-East Asia together with Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Salads can embrace all the pieces from dried beef to pickled crabs. Right here in Australia, the Thai model – referred to as som tum – might be essentially the most well-known and most generally out there. In order that’s the model I’m sharing at the moment.
Right here’s what goes into the salad. The dressing components are proven individually under.
Inexperienced papaya
That is actually unripened papaya fruit that’s the form and dimension of a melon. The feel of the within is like potato. It’s agency however moist (although not starchy like potato), and very best for shredding like we do for Inexperienced Papaya Salad.
The style is faintly astringent however general pretty bland. You wouldn’t eat it plain like different fruit as a result of it doesn’t have sufficient flavour.
Regardless that it’s thought-about a fruit, it’s not candy in any respect in its unripened state.
The way it’s ready – Peel utilizing a typical vegetable peeler (the pores and skin is sort of mushy). You may see the peel weep a white liquid, simply wipe it off. Now reduce papaya in half and take away the seeds utilizing a spoon. Then finely shred into matchsticks utilizing a julienning shredder, as pictured above.
The place to search out it – It is a little bit of a specialty ingredient. You will discover it at some Asian grocery shops (Thai and Vietnamese are finest), and generally (generally!🤞🏻) at Harris Farm Markets in NSW and Queensland.
Substitutes – The most effective substitute is inexperienced mango, one other unripened fruit utilized in salads in Thai delicacies but in addition an ingredient that may have to be sourced from an Asian retailer!
By way of readily accessible greens, nothing is sort of the identical as inexperienced papaya. Nonetheless funnily sufficient, de-seeded and shredded telegraph / English cucumbers are the closest!
Snake beans
Named as such for its size, these are like very lengthy inexperienced beans solely a bit firmer and a bit extra scraggly wanting. Snake beans have the identical texture and an analogous flavour to strange inexperienced beans, which will be ready in the identical method.
For this explicit recipe, the snake beans are used uncooked. They’re reduce into chunk dimension lengths then pounded to melt and take in the flavour of the dressing.
Discover it at Harris Farms (NSW/QLD), some giant grocery shops (Coles/Woolies) or Asian shops.
Substitute inexperienced beans / French beans.
Cherry tomatoes
Simply day by day cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes! Abnormal giant tomatoes sliced up will work okay from a flavour perspective, however I’ve by no means seen them used on this salad.
Thai basil
Thai Basil tastes like regular basil with a stronger aniseed and barely minty flavour. These days it’s pretty extensively out there in Australia in giant grocery shops and inexperienced grocers (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms).
Greatest substitute for this recipe is coriander/cilantro. It brings a distinct flavour to this dish, but it surely’s not remarkable and the most effective various, for my part. The following finest substitute is strange Italian basil.
Right here’s what it’s essential make the dressing:
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Dried shrimp – Discovered at Asian grocery shops, these are dried little shrimp. They’re a key ingredient which might be pounded and add a salty, shellfish umami to the Inexperienced Papaya Salad.
Can’t discover it? If you happen to skip the dried shrimp, you could discover the dressing a bit one-dimensional. You’ll be able to as an alternative use the dressing within the Thai Beef Salad, which comprises coriander to provide it a lift. Quadruple it (ie. x 4)
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Fish sauce – The opposite ingredient that provides depth and complexity to the dressing. Sure, it’s pungent straight out of the bottle, but it surely’s significantly diluted as soon as combined with all the pieces else. If you happen to substitute with soy sauce, you’ll discover the dressing a bit lacklustre (for my part) so I actually do urge you to not skip it. (If you happen to’re actually frightened about it being robust, swap a part of it with soy sauce).
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Palm sugar – A sugar derived from palm bushes, it’s a sweetener used extensively in South-East Asian cooking that has an exquisite caramel flavour. Substitute with brown sugar.
Palm sugar is available in discs or in blocks, such because the cylindrical one pictured above. To make sure it dissolves simply into the dressing, it must be grated. I simply use a typical field grater.
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Limes – Contemporary is the one method! If you happen to don’t have recent limes, I’d give this recipe a miss.
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Garlic – Important, for flavour!
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Birds eye chilli – If you need the true deal, you may’t be shy with the chilli. The actual fact is, Inexperienced Papaya Salad IS spicy! Some are so screamingly spicy you’ll be banging your head towards the desk in agony. This one is just not fairly so brutal, however continues to be fairly excessive up on the spice-o-meter.
If you happen to’re actually involved, be at liberty to dial it again to 1 chilli. If you happen to skip it, you’ll have your self a wonderful salad, but it surely’s not a Thai Inexperienced Papaya Salad!! 😂
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Peanuts – A great handful of peanuts is an important a part of the Inexperienced Papaya Salad expertise. They’re principally tossed by the salad as a part of the dressing, some reserved for sprinkling.
Historically, Inexperienced Papaya Salad is made in mortars which might be giant sufficient to carry your complete salad. The dressing components are pounded first, adopted by the remaining salad parts.
The steps on this recipe have been tailored for on a regular basis folks like myself who solely have an ordinary-sized mortar and pestle. We pound the parts individually and convey all of it collectively in a plain outdated bowl!
1. make Inexperienced Papaya Salad Dressing
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Garlic and chilli paste: Pound the garlic and chilli within the mortar first till it’s a paste.
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Crush shrimp: Add shrimp and pound to crush them. No have to grind right into a paste, simply break them up.
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Dressing liquids: Stir in palm sugar, lime and fish sauce till sugar dissolves – it solely takes a ten seconds or so.
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Switch Dressing into a big bowl. Now, we’ll use the mortar for different parts of the salad.
2. make Inexperienced Papaya Salad
As soon as the dressing is completed, it’s on to the salad parts!
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Bruise snake beans: The snake beans are used uncooked on this dish in order that they wanted to be pounded to melt so they’re simpler to eat. It additionally makes them break up open a bit so the dressing seeps inside, and the bean flavour oozes out.
Add snake beans to the mortar (in batches if wanted), then use the pestle to pound them a bit in order that they bruise, break up and soften.
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Switch to bowl: Now add them to the bowl with the Dressing. The dressing will additional soften the beans given somewhat time. Because of this we do them earlier than the tomato and papaya.
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Crush tomato: Seize handfuls of tomato, and evenly crush along with your arms then add into the bowl.
Historically, the cherry tomatoes are evenly bruised in an enormous mortar and pestle in order that they “meld” in with the salad higher and take in the dressing. As a result of this recipe is tailored for on a regular basis house cooks with normal dimension mortar, I merely crush then evenly in my arms earlier than dropping into a big bowl to toss with all the pieces else.
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Add papaya to the bowl. As with the cherry tomatoes, the papaya is historically very evenly bruised in a mortar and pestle with the dressing. However truthfully, shredded papaya is so delicate anyway this step isn’t mandatory. And in reality, you lengthen the already quick shelf lifetime of this salad by NOT pounding the papaya!
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Peanuts: Then add about 3/4 of the peanuts.
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Toss: Working shortly, toss effectively with 2 wood spoons or tongs. It’s essential to work shortly as soon as the papaya comes into contact with the Dressing as a result of the papaya will begin to wilt and leach water which dilutes the dressing.
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Serving bowls: Switch the salad into serving bowls. Pile it up good and excessive for a very good visible impact!
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Garnish and serve: Spoon some dressing over the salad. There might be a little bit of dressing nonetheless left within the bowl as a result of the recipe wants numerous dressing to make sure all of the papaya will get coated properly.
Garnish with Thai Basil leaves, sprinkle with remaining peanuts, then serve instantly.
It is a salad that qualifies as a “meal salad” in my world, being one which you can eat in huge volumes as a meal. The acute tastiness is a giant issue right here, as is the slaw-like type of the salad which makes it simple to devour giant portions with velocity (wait, is that simply me?).
A well-liked fixture of Thai menus right here in Australia, you’ll see it provided as a facet salad, as a starter or as a lunch salad. As a part of Thai Week right here at RecipeTin Eats (see high of put up!), I’m providing this up as a refreshing facet salad to accompany the Thai Yellow Curry I shared on Monday.
(You’ll be able to simply refashion this right into a principal course by including a protein. Attempt sliced medium-rare beef or tuna steak, barbecued chicken, pork, fish (strive crispy skinned salmon!) or shellfish. I’d follow pretty plain therapies, for the reason that salad is just not quick on flavour as it’s.)
For extra facet choices, or starters to kick off your Thai feast, have a browse of my Thai recipe assortment. Some options for Thai starters:
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Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce – A agency reader favorite! (Or strive Beef Satay).
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Thai Fish Truffles – The key is crimson curry paste!
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Thai Lettuce Cups (Larb Gai)
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Tom Yum Soup
To all my fellow lockdownees, I hope this conjures up you for Thai evening … IN! I’ll be again Friday to serve you up dessert! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp garlic , roughly chopped (10 normal or 4 large garlic cloves)
- 6 bird eye chillies, , roughly chopped with seeds (use fewer for less spicy, Note 1)
- 6 tbsp dried shrimp (Note 2)
- 1 cup palm sugar , grated using standard box grater, loosely packed (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup fish sauce
- 1 cup roasted peanuts , unsalted
- 20 snake beans , cut in 5cm/2″ pieces (raw, Note 4)
- 3 cups grape tomato , cut in half (~400g / 14oz)
- 500g / 4 cups green papaya , shredded, TIGHTLY packed cups (~1 medium, 2/3 large, Note 5)
- 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves (Note 6)
Instructions
- Crush peanuts: Place peanuts in a mortar and pestle. Pound lightly to break them up into largish pieces, not into powder. Transfer to bowl.
- Garlic and chilli paste: Place garlic and chilli in the mortar. Pound into a paste. Add shrimp and pound to crush them – no need to grind them to a paste.
- Dressing: Stir in palm sugar, lime and fish sauce until sugar dissolves. Pour Dressing into a large bowl.
- Bruise snake beans: Add snake beans to mortar (in batches if needed). Pound to bruise, split and soften (they are raw, so they need to be bashed to soften). Add to Dressing.
- Crush tomato: Grab handfuls of tomato, crush with your hands then add into the bowl.
- Add papaya: Add papaya and 3/4 of the peanuts. Toss well with 2 wooden spoons or tongs.
- Serve immediately (Note 7): Once everything is coated in Dressing, immediately pile up onto plates. Spoon over some dressing (there will be a bit of dressing still left in the bowl, that's normal). Garnish with Thai basil leaves, sprinkle with remaining peanuts. Serve immediately (Note 7).
Notes
1. Birds eye chillies – Authentic Green Papaya Salad is quite spicy. Very spicy! 6 chillies with the seeds in is the average strength of spiciness you get in Thailand and authentic Thai restaurants here in Sydney. Feel free to dial it back (1 chilli would be quite mild).
2. Dried shrimp – Small shrimp that are sun-dried, they are an ingredient used in Asian cooking to add savoury flavour. It tastes like concentrated shrimp (prawns). Sold at Asian grocery stores (small, light packet, not refrigerated, so suitable for online order).
Can’t find it? If you skip the dried shrimp, you may find this dressing a bit one-dimensional. You can instead use the dressing in the Thai Beef Salad, which contains coriander to give it a boost. Quadruple it (ie. x 4)
3. Palm sugar – Sugar extracted from palm trees that has a wonderful caramel flavour. It comes in blocks, and needs to be grated using a box grater so it will dissolve into the dressing. Sold at large grocery stores in Australia (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms) and Asian stores.
Grating – Hardness of blocks differ. If you have a really hard one, it will require some effort to grate. But persist! It’s doable! (I’m not exactly a gym junkie, and I can grate it fine 🙂 )
Substitute – Brown sugar.
4. Snake beans – Long beans that are a bit harder than ordinary green beans. Used raw in this dish, so it’s bruised to soften. Substitute green beans / French beans.
5. Green papaya – Unripened papaya. Find it at Thai or Vietnamese grocery stores, and sometimes Harris Farms in NSW and QLD (Aust).
Size – They come in various sizes. The one pictured is medium size, about 18cm / 7″ wide.
To prepare, peel the dark green skin off using a standard vegetable peeler (the skin is quite soft), then cut in half and remove the seeds using a spoon. Now finely shred using a julienne shredder, as pictured in post and in the video.
Subs – The best substitute is green mango, another unripened fruit used in salads in Thai cuisine but also an ingredient that would need to be sourced from an Asian store! Prepare and use in the same way.
The most similar readily accessible vegetable I can think of is telegraph / English cucumbers (the long ones), which are less watery than Lebanese cucumbers (shorter ones). Peel, scoop out and discard watery flesh, finely julienne the firm part. It will be slightly softer but similar in flavour and texture once dressed.
Alternatively, just use 4 very packed cups of finely shredded cabbage (wombok/Chinese cabbage or regular). It’s a different texture but it will still be extremely delicious and will have a similar “slaw-like” texture!
6. Thai Basil – It tastes like normal basil with a hint of aniseed and minty flavour. Nowadays it’s fairly widely available in Australia in large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms), as well as Asian stores.
Best substitute: Coriander/cilantro. It brings a different flavour, but it’s on-theme and the best alternative, in my opinion. The next best substitute is ordinary Italian basil.
7. Serve immediately – This is important because the green papaya continues to wilt and leach liquid. This will dilute the flavour of the Dressing and the green papaya goes soggy.
Make ahead – You can make the salad ahead by preparing all the raw ingredients undressed. Shredded papaya keeps extremely well in an airtight zip-lock bag in the fridge for days, with no discolouration or degradation of quality.
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