Ingredients
Method
- Start by placing your garlic cloves and chilies into a large mortar and pestle. Pound them until the garlic is smashed and the chilies are broken into small bits. Add your long beans to the mortar.
- Add the palm sugar, dried shrimp, and half of your peanuts to the mix. Pound these together until the sugar starts to dissolve and the peanuts are crushed into smaller chunks.
- If your palm sugar is very hard, you can microwave it for five seconds to soften it before adding it to the mortar.
- Pour in the fish sauce and the lime juice. Use a large spoon to stir the liquid while you gently tap with the pestle. Taste it at this point. It should be very sharp and bold. If it feels too salty, add a bit more sugar. If it is too sweet, add another squeeze of lime.
- Add the halved cherry tomatoes. Use the pestle to press down on them very gently just until the juices start to leak out.
- Add your shredded green papaya to the mortar. Use a spoon in one hand and the pestle in the other. Turn the papaya over while lightly pounding it. This forces the dressing into the fibers of the fruit. Do this for about thirty seconds.
- Once the papaya is well-coated, move the salad to a large plate or bowl. Pour all the extra juice from the mortar over the top.
Notes
The biggest mistake is over-pounding the papaya. If you hit it too hard for too long, the fruit will lose its structure and turn into a soggy mess. You want to bruise it just enough to let the flavor in, but it should still snap when you bite into it. Think of it as a light massage rather than a heavy smash.