For me, papaya salad is the best salad in the entire world—tart, sweet, salty, and spicy. This is one of the most popular salads in Thai cuisine, and most Thai people will say that this is their favourite dish. Many Thai people have green papaya growing in their backyards, so making this salad takes less than ten minutes once they pick the fruit from the tree. Each family has their own way to make it, and my mom was no exception. Whenever I think about happy times with my mom, there is normally papaya salad in that picture.
- Step 1: Using a peeler, peel the green papaya. Using a knife, cut off and discard the top 1 inch at the stem end. Cut the papaya in half and, using a spoon, scrape out and discard the seeds. Wash the papaya and pat dry. If you have a zigzag (julienne) peeler, use this to scrape the flesh of the papaya into shreds about 3 inches in length. Otherwise, julienne the papaya to the same length. You should have about 1 cup of prepared green papaya. Set aside.
- Step 2: In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce and coconut sugar. Stir well until the sugar fully dissolves. Be patient—this will take a few minutes. Add the lime juice and tamarind paste and stir. Set aside.
- Step 3: Using a stone mortar and pestle, grind the garlic to a paste. Add the chilies and lightly bruise for a mild to medium spice. If you prefer more spice, grind until the chilies break into small pieces. Add the yard-long beans and pound to bruise. Add the peanuts and pound to a coarse powder. Add the tomatoes and lightly bruise. Add the fish sauce mixture and green papaya and pound to mix. Be careful not to overly bruise. Add the dried shrimp and, using a large spoon, mix well. Transfer to a large plate. Serve with cabbage wedges and sawtooth coriander.
Yield: serves 2
- ¼ green papaya (about 9 ounces/250 g)
- 3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Tamarind Paste
- 3 unpeeled Thai garlic cloves (or 1 peeled regular garlic clove)
- 1 to 3 fresh bird’s eye chilies (adjust according to your spice preference), stems removed
- 3 yard-long beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup unsalted roasted peanuts
- 9 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- ¼ cup large dried shrimp
- 3 green cabbage wedges, sliced thick
- 9 fresh sawtooth coriander leaves
Chef Nuit Regular is the Executive Chef and Co-Owner of PAI, Kiin, Chaiyo, Sukhothai, and By Chef Nuit Events & Catering, as well as the Executive Chef of Selva. Chef Nuit has transformed the Thai food scene in Toronto through the distinct flavours of Northern Thai cuisine and hospitality.
It all began when Chef Nuit opened the humble Curry Shack in the small town of Pai, in Northern Thailand. She made the decision to leave her career as a nurse so that she could share her passion and life experiences through family recipes, street market dishes, and Royal Thai cuisine in Canada.
The first Thai SELECT Ambassador for Canada, Chef Nuit has been recognized by the government of Thailand for the authenticity of her Thai cooking and was awarded the prestigious Thai SELECT Signature designation for her restaurants. Her restaurants PAI and Kiin have been named to the MICHELIN Guide Toronto. Chef Nuit was named a WX Network’s 2022 Top 100 Powerful Women in Canada with the BMO Entrepreneurs Award, and is the recipient of the 2022 American Express Award for Business Leadership. She has been a guest judge on MasterChef Canada and Top Chef Canada, Season 9, appeared on Big Food Bucket List, and is a resident judge on Food Network Canada's Wall of Chefs. Her debut cookbook, Kiin: Recipes and Stories from Northern Thailand, won a 2021 IACP Cookbook Award and a Taste Canada Gold Award. Follow her on Instagram @chefnuitregular.
Excerpted from Kiin by Nuit Regular. Copyright © 2020 by Nuit Regular. Photography copyright © 2020 by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott. Published by Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
These featured authors and recipes are presented as part of a collaboration between the Museum and Taste Canada. A project meant to celebrate the vibrant culinary scene in Canada and introduce our upcoming exhibition eat make share: a taste of immigration. This national traveling exhibition will invite you to take a deeper dive into food and immigration. Opening in Halifax, Nova Scotia May 2025.
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