michelle picker cooks

I love Thai green papaya salad so, even though I had no green papayas, I decided to use the traditional dressing for this rice noodle salad.

First, I soaked a packet of fine rice vermicelli according to the instructions and rinsed them in cold water, cutting them into shorter pieces before combining them with some fresh bean sprouts and some sliced and bruised green beans. For the dressing I pounded 3 cloves of garlic, 4 bird’s eye chillies and a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle, adding 2 heaped tablespoons each of roasted peanuts and dried prawns (shrimps) and pounding into a coarse paste. Next I added 3 diced tomatoes and gently mashed them together. For the final seasoning, 2 tablespoons each of fish sauce and palm sugar, 1 tablespoon of lime juice and a teaspoon of tamarind paste. After tossing this dressing through the salad, I garnished with some more roasted peanuts, fresh coriander and slices of fresh cucumber and tomato.