Finally: a tasty salad without hassle

Ready in 10 minutes, that was my ready-for-the-supermarket signal. I heard someone on the radio yesterday say that they only vacuum again under twenty degrees (yuck!), I will only start cooking extensively again under twenty-five degrees. Therefore, from our neighbors, a salad that you can whip up in ten minutes. Light, healthy, tasty, and no hot flashes over the stove. You’re welcome.

The Thai cuisine is known for the perfect combination of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy. And if there is one dish that embraces these flavors, it is som tam, or papaya salad.

Anyone who has ever walked through a night market in Thailand will surely recognize the sound of enormous mortars in which this salad is traditionally prepared.

Don't be alarmed if you don't like fruit in your food. The green, unripe papaya used in this dish is crunchy and has a fresh taste. A visit to the Asian grocery store will most likely be enough to find this fruit, I have also spotted them at the market.

The salad is very light and fresh, and you can make it as spicy as you want. The dressing is made with ingredients you might not expect right away. We certainly don't often crush green beans or tomatoes for a salad. Som tam is perfect as a starter or side dish for a Thai feast, with for example penang curry as the main course and mango sticky rice as dessert. A couple of Chang beers on the side and you're set.

Preparation

Crush the shrimp, chili, beans, and garlic in a mortar. Add the tomato, palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime and mix together. Stir the grated papaya into the dressing and top it all off with the roasted peanuts.

Ingredients

• 1-3 small chili peppers (for example, rawits)
• 2 green beans, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons dried shrimp
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 plate of green papaya in thin strips
• 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts

Text: FavorFlav