One measure of a great cuisine is its malleability. Can it rise and fall in waves, and thrill at the crest as well as the trough? And does it involve green papaya?
If you guessed with Thai and Vietnamese food, you win the prize. It satisfies both requirements. The flavors are musically infinite: fragrant Thai basil and lemongrass; sweet, caramel palm sugar; sharp galangal; rich coconut; hot chilies; and so on. As well as a field of wild leaves, berries, and grains. Meat and fish are important, but not central; they are treated with no more or less respect than the other ingredients, certainly far different from the Western approach.
Green papaya is highly emblematic of Thai and Vietnamese food. For one, it possesses the incredible property of tastelessness. Try a small chunk of green papaya; cleanse the palate. Now suck on a leg of your kitchen table. Not too different. Except for the vegetable’s marvelous, radish-like crunch. Green papaya is a truly blank slate-bland yet wonderfully crunchy.
Because cooking kills the crunch, it’s must be used raw, preferably in a fresh salad, which is why it’s perfect for this style of food. You see, the perfect Thai/Viet spread includes not just rich (and delicious) curries, but fresh, light salads. Acid elements such as rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, and cut limes are always present. Even fried spring rolls are accompanied by fresh mint and lettuce.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Chinese food, but the last Chinese salad I ate involved beef and broccoli. Still, the stained menu from our local Chinese takeout joint is a near sacred document, so it seems almost heretical to present this dish, but in a way, it’s a high compliment. Lo mein will forever grace our tables, but so will a cool Thai salad. And in life, when you’re hopelessly undecided, stick something in a Chinese takeout container.
(NOTE: I do possess a small mortar and pestle, and as much as I avoid using it, it really is effective here. Crushing rather than chopping up the garlic, chilies, and lime, add a punch and unique appearance. However, you can, of course, chop in a mini blender. Just be sure to more or less mince the items. Sticking a large lime piece in that thing might present some issues. Also, palm sugar is so good here it’s nearly indispensible, but again, brown sugar is fine.)
Green Papaya Salad
Serves 4
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 slices lime
4 Thai chilies
1 green papaya, julienned finely
3 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
4 tablespoons fish sauce
½ tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
- Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic gloves, peanuts, tomatoes, lime slices, and chilies to a coarse paste. (see note).
- In a small bowl, whisk the fish and soy sauces with the palm sugar and lime juice. Crush the sugar so that it dissolves.
- Add the green papaya to a large bowl. Toss with the fish sauce mixture, then the garlic mixture. Season with more fish sauce or lime juice if necessary.
