A Laotian-style papaya salad has just the right about of crunch, freshness and heat to dress up any meal.KELLEY SAYS: Since discovering Thai Esan in East Ridge, we’ve eaten there several times, trying a new wonderful dish every time. But no matter how many different entrees we get, I always order the Laotian-style papaya salad two spices on a sliding scale, the higher the number, the hotter the dish. I can’t get enough of it, so I thought I’d try making my own. This is the second attempt and it came out great.
BARRY SAYS: She’s not kidding either about the dish she made or the fact that she gets it every time at the restaurant.
KELLEY: It’s just so good. It has a freshness and a crunch to it, but also a good bit of heat.
BARRY: Thai restaurants allow customers to order dishes with varying degrees of spice – one, two, three, etc. And for some reason, the two-spice papaya salad at Thai Esan is spicier than the three-spices entrees. Or at least it is to me. Not incinerate-your-tastebuds hot, but definitely open-up-the sinuses hot. It’s wonderful.
KELLEY: This is an easy dish to make, especially if you buy papaya that’s already shredded, and it goes with so many things. I did a lot of research online, looking for recipes, and they are all fairly similar. We added cilantro to our version and it worked fine.
Papaya Salad
A Laotian-style papaya salad has just the right about of crunch, freshness and heat to dress up any meal.1 tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 teaspoons tamarind concentrate, available at Asian markets
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 Thai red chili peppers sliced thin, include seeds
1 large lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 long snake beans, cut into 1/2-inch bits, available at Asian markets
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons cilantro
3 cups shredded papaya
1/4 cup raw peanuts
In a small bowl, add the sugar, tamarind, garlic, peppers and lime and mash together. You’re looking to coat everything. Add the tomatoes, cilantro and beans and mash again.
Rinse the papaya then dry it with a paper towel. Place everything in a larger bowl and mix it up.
Cut the cabbage in half and place it on the edge of a large plate, putting the salad mixture in the middle. In some cases, it is served with sticky rice, which is an added bonus.