RAW PAPAYA SALAD
Papayas and Mangoes are everywhere in the market and so I really went for it with this refreshing and delicious Raw Papaya and Raw Mango Salad. The papaya this time came from my parents backyard.
For this riff on the classic thai salad, also known as Som Tam, I started with a big mound of grated raw papaya to which I added a small pile of grated raw mango, a pinch of jaggery ( to balance the sourness of the mango and to bring out the sweetness of the papaya), a dash of salt and a sprinkling of lime juice (just enough to underscore the tartness of the mango) , a hint of garlic and green chilli, a fistful of tomatoes, a generous measure of cilantro, and I finished it all off with a dusting of crushed pistachios (traditionally peanuts are used). I omitted the fish sauce completely and it didn’t matter at all. This really doesn’t need a recipe. You just need to taste along the way and adjust to balance the flavors ,but for whatever’s it’s worth, here’s the recipe
INGREDIENTS
- Grated Raw Papaya – 2 cups
- Grated raw mango – 1/4 cup (or more depending on the tartness)
- Diced tomatoes – 1/4 cup
- Jaggery – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Garlic – 1 tiny pod
- Green Chilli – 1 small
- Coriander/Cilantro – 1 tbsp
- Lime Juice – 2 tsps
- Crushed Pistachios – 1 tbsp
METHOD
Mix all the ingredients together and serve immediately.
Note: You could add grated carrots, sprouts to the mix , use honey instead of jaggery, mint alongside coriander, some pomegranate would be a great addition, you could get really creative and still end up with a great bowl of salad.
