Green Papaya Salad

It's summer, it's hot and sometimes you just want something light without sacrificing flavour. This is yet another dish I've made over and over again trying to perfect the balance of salty, sweet and herbaceous that every great Vietnamese restaurant seem to do with ease. Every time I make this salad it turns out slightly different but always crunchy, fresh and satisfying. 

Ingredients

1 green papaya

2 carrots

2 green onions

1 cucumber

1 red pepper

1 cup of bean sprouts

1 cup of peeled shrimp

cilantro and thai basil to garnish

Dressing

1 large clove of garlic

1 thai red chile chopped

5 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp water

Directions

1. For the dressing, combine the garlic ( I used a microplane to grate the garlic ), chili, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and water in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Bring a medium sized saucepan of water to boil and add the peeled shrimp.  Once the shrimp have turned bright pink, drain and run them under cold water to prevent over cooking them. 

3. Now for the papaya. Peel the outside thick skin with a regular peeler until you see the light green flesh of the papaya.  Cut in half and scoop out the seeds and any fibrous pieces leftover.  Then you can either julienne the rest or using a papaya peeler, shred into thin strips as seen below. I also use the peeler for the carrots so you have consistent textures for the base of your salad.

4. Julienne your red pepper and dice up your green onions. For the cucumber, I cut it in half and scoop out the seeds.  Then I cut into crescents to have another shape added to the salad and to prevent extra moisture from diluting the dressing.

5. Combine everything into a mixing bowl and toss, transfer to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro and thai basil.