Lao Green Papaya Salad (Tam Mak Hoong)

🛒 Ingredients

• Green Papaya, shredded 200 g · 65 kcal
• Garlic cloves 5 g · 7 kcal
• Bird's Eye Chilies 10 g · 4 kcal
• Long Beans, cut 30 g · 11 kcal
• Cherry Tomatoes, halved 50 g · 9 kcal
• Lime Juice 30 g · 8 kcal
• Palm Sugar 10 g · 38 kcal
• Fish Sauce 15 g · 11 kcal
• Padek (Lao Fermented Fish Sauce) 20 g · 15 kcal
• Salted Crab 20 g · 10 kcal

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. In a large mortar, combine bird's eye chilies and garlic cloves. Pound them using a pestle until roughly crushed to release their aromas and flavors.
2. Add the long beans and cherry tomatoes to the mortar. Lightly pound them to bruise and help release their juices, but do not mash completely.
3. Now, add the shredded green papaya, salted crab, palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and padek to the mortar.
4. Gently pound and mix all ingredients together using a spoon and pestle, tossing and turning until everything is well combined and thoroughly coated with the dressing.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately as a refreshing and spicy salad.