Thai Food- Papaya/Mango Salad

Ingredients to serve 4 people:

1 medium sized green papaya
4 small plum tomatoes
1 carrot
3 strands of green beans
10ml tamarind juice
25ml lime juice
2 cloves garlic
50gm prik kee noo (red chili peppers)
10gm brown sugar
25ml nam pla (fish sauce)
25gm dried shrimps
50gm unsalted roasted peanuts

Peel the papaya and shred the green flesh (if you don't have a suitable implement for the purpose a coarse cheese grater may work).

Also peel and shred the carrot.

Chop the green beans into 1 inch pieces.

Put the shredded papaya and carrot in the fridge for a few minutes while preparing the other ingredients.

Soften the dried shrimp in a few mls of boiling water.

Pound the garlic and the red chili peppers together in a pestle and mortar.

Separately pound the peanuts together with the shrimp, but only until coarsely broken up, not reduced to dust or paste.

Mix the tamarind, juice, lime juice, fish sauce and the sugar.

Chop the tomatoes into quarters.

Now mix the shredded papaya, carrot with all the other ingredients and gently pound them together.

Mix all the ingredients together and serve in a bowl. Most restaurants would drain off some of the excess juice before serving, but I usually keep it.

Note: You should reduce the amount of red chili peppers used if you do not like it spicy.

Generally the som tum salad is eaten with sticky rice and grilled chicken. Thai's also have this with grilled or fried pork and green beans.