Recipe: Sweet and Sour Papaya Salad

Make the most out of a leftover unripe papaya at home and put together a vibrant Sweet and Sour Papaya Salad, Thai-style in less than 30 minutes.

The sugar balances out the sourness of the lemon juice and lemon zest, while the fish sauce, an optional ingredient, lends saltiness to the dish.

Featuring a healthy mix of veggies, Chef Sabyasachi Gorai's salad is versatile and can be served with king prawns as well.

Thai-Style Papaya Salad

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 100 gm green beans, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 100 gm beansprouts
• 1 medium-sized carrot, juilenned
• 100 gm walnuts, toasted
• 1 red chilly, deseeded, finely diced
• 1 small unripe papaya, peeled, deseeded, julienned
• Zest of 1 lime (grated lemon peel)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, optional
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• ½ tsp icing sugar or castor sugar (a kind of finer sugar manufactured by top baking brands)
• Salt to taste (may not be required if fish sauce is used)

Method

• Cook the beans in boiling water for 3 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, and cool under cold water.
  Add the beansprouts to the same water and blanch for 30 seconds, drain and cool under cold water.
  Place both in a large bowl. and add the carrots, walnuts, red chilly, papaya.
• Whisk together the lime zest and juice, fish sauce, sesame oil, sugar and then toss into the salad.

Note: If you like your seafood serve this salad up with king prawns on skewers.

Two tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly crushed makes a tasty addition instead of walnuts, as does a little garlic paste and a few halved cherry tomatoes.

For a Jain version of this papaya salad, skip the carrots and use 1 chopped tomato or a few cherry tomatoes halved.

Chef Sabyasachi Gorai is a consultant chef and mentor.

• MORE RECIPES