Thai-Australian Green Papaya Salad
Crisp shredded green papaya tossed with chillies, lime, garlic, and roasted peanuts. A vibrant, tangy Darwin market essential.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 165 kcal
Equipment
- •Mortar and pestle
- •Julienne peeler or sharp chef's knife
- •Mixing spoon
- •Measuring spoons
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 165 kcal
- fat
- 6 g
- carbs
- 22 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 7 g
- calories
- 165 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Place the garlic cloves and birds eye chillies into the mortar.
- 2
Pound lightly with the pestle until crushed into coarse pieces.
- 3
Add the dried prawns and bruise lightly with the pestle.
- 4
Add the palm sugar, fish sauce, and fresh lime juice.
- 5
Pound and stir together until the palm sugar dissolves completely.
- 6
Add the snake beans and cherry tomatoes to the mortar.
- 7
Bruise the beans and tomatoes gently without smashing them to mush.
- 8
Add the shredded green papaya to the mortar in handfuls.
- 9
Pound lightly while using a spoon to lift and toss the ingredients.
- 10
Scatter in two tablespoons of roasted peanuts and toss through.
- 11
Taste and adjust with extra lime juice or fish sauce if needed.
- 12
Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the remaining peanuts.
Chef's tips
Ensure the papaya is completely unripe and firm for the signature crisp crunch. Use a large wooden or clay mortar to allow enough room for tossing without bruising the shreds too heavily. Taste the dressing before adding all the papaya to ensure a good balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
Ingredient substitutions
- dried prawns → extra roasted peanuts or omit for a simpler salad
- snake beans → regular tender green beans cut into short batons
- palm sugar → brown sugar or raw caster sugar
Storage
Best eaten fresh immediately after pounding, but leftover dressed salad can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
Reheating
Do not reheat; serve chilled or at room temperature.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Pounding the papaya shreds too hard, which turns them soggy instead of crisp.
- •Using ripe or semi-ripe papaya, which lacks the essential crunch and tart flavour.
- •Letting the salad sit too long after dressing, causing the papaya to release water and dilute the dressing.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Thai-Australian Green Papaya Salad?
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