Lao Green Papaya Salad

ຕຳຫມາກຫຸ່ງ // [taː˩˩˦m maːk hu˩ŋ] // Taam Maak Hoong

Pounded Green Papaya Salad, Traditional Lao Style

ORIGIN Laos and Northeastern Thailand

TAGS salad, appetizer, spicy, sour, lime, fresh, green papaya, lao, laos, isan thai

Globally, Green Papaya Salad is viewed as a concoction of Thai cuisine, but in reality, its origins lie to the northeast of Thailand, in the land-locked country of Laos. The northeastern region of modern-day Thailand, referred to as Isan, is actually culturally and linguistically related to Laos. The sweet and sour Central Thai version of this salad is actually a modification of the original recipe from Laos and Isan. While some of the ingredients are similar between the original recipe and Thai-ized recipe, the former results in a salad that favours salty, sour, and spicy, with milder notes of sweetness. It also uses some pungent ingredients that might seem unusual or even a little bit scary to the weary, but these ingredients add a depth and complexity of flavours that cannot be replicated without them.

This papaya salad is part of repertoire of pounded salads that are always served with a Lao or an Isan meal. Fresh, unripe, green papaya is peeled and shredded into thin slivers and that mixed and pounded with other ingredients. Cherry tomato and lime adds sharp sourness, and starch from string beans helps thicken the salad dressing. However, the quintessential Laotian ingredients are the real star of this dish! Laos is a lush subtropical country with abundant water where paddy rice fields dot the countryside. Paddy needs to be submerged under water for its growth, but this still water is a perfect habitat for a pest - black crab or rice field crab. These tiny, black critters are are a nuisance, and so, the Laotian people came up with a great way to get rid of a delicious pest - dry them, salt them, and make them in to a paste.

This papaya salad is part of repertoire of pounded salads that are always served with a Lao or an Isan meal.

This salted black crab paste along with two types of fish sauces adds all the salt that is needed. No need for extra table salt! Along with the regular, thin fish sauce, padaek or Laotian fish sauce is mixed in. Padaek tends to be thicker and is a grainier and more pungent than its already pungent cousin. Throughout Laotian cuisine, padaek features prominently. While it may be difficult to source padaek and black crab paste with out a South East Asian grocer nearby, it should not stop you from attempting to make this Lao classic. Unlike the Thai version of papaya salad, this version does not have tamarind or palm sugar as the main dressing. Because it is not enough to stop at a paste made of paddy pests, sliced black crabs are also added! To top it off, garlic, dried red chili, shrimp paste and small green eggplants are also added to this recipe - everything you would also find in a classic Thai curry. After this description, it may seem daunting to even attempt this recipe but there is a way to recreate the main flavour combinations with some substitutions and a milder dressing.

This salad can be enjoyed on its own, served with green cabbage leaves and crispy pork rinds. As a part of a larger meal that includes steamed rice, the strong flavours can be tamed and relished by those accustomed to milder tastes. These pounded salads are such an integral part of Lao cuisine that there is a specialized mortar and pestle just to make them! The mortar looks like a large earthen pot with a the pestle being elongated. The goal is not crush and grind with attrition, but to lightly bruise vegetables and leave room for intermediate mixing actions. This allows for the maceration of the vegetables while allowing them to absorb the dressing.

SERVINGS: 3 - 4

PREPARATION: 15 - 20 minutes

EQUIPMENT || shredder, mixing bowl, mortar & pestle, large spoon ||

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

1 lime, cut into wedges and juiced
2 tbsp. white table sugar
1 tsp. shrimp paste
1 tsp. black crab paste
2 tbsp. salted black crabs
1 1/2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. padeak (fermented fish sauce)

Salad

3 dried red Thai chili or 1 1/2 tbsp. red chili flakes
3 fresh red Thai chili optional
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
12 cherry tomato, halved
5 green Thai eggplants, quartered
1 medium green papaya, peeled and shredded into thin slivers

DIRECTIONS

Add all dressing ingredients into mixing bowl and whisk to uniformity.
If using whole dried chili, add to mortar and pound until flaky. Add garlic and squeezed lime wedges to chili flakes in mortar and pound for 30 seconds.
Add tomato, eggplant, papaya to mortar. Pound for 30 seconds. Add entire prepared dressing to mortar and pound lightly for 10 seconds, mix and twist using large spoon. Repeat at least 8 times, continuing to mix each time. Portion out and serve immediately.

NOTES: If using a small mortar and pestle, add each salad ingredient separately and macerate with gentle pounding for 30 seconds for each ingredient. Add to mixing bowl with prepared dressing and use spoon to toss and mix.

SUBSTITUTIONS & OMISSIONS

1 tsp padaek : fish sauce + 1 anchovy fillet

black crab paste : shrimp paste or other Asian crab paste

salted black crabs : cooked crab meat or diced shrimp

green Thai eggplant : any eggplant cut in to 1" or 2.5 cm cubes