Vegan Thai Green Papaya Salad

Equipment

• ✓ Chef knife and chopping board
• ✓ Large mixing bowl
• ✓ Small whisking bowl
• ✓ Whisk or fork

Ingredients

• Salad Base
• 2 cups green papaya, peeled and finely shredded
• 1/4 cup carrot, finely shredded (optional, for color)
• 5–6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3–4 yardlong beans (or green beans), cut into 1.5-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped or bruised
• Vegan Dressing
• 2–3 garlic cloves
• 1–2 fresh Thai bird's eye chilies (adjust to preference)
• 1.5–2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (replaces fish sauce)
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1.5 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• A pinch of salt (to taste)

Easy Step-by-Step Method

Complete one numbered step before moving to the next. Keep the heat and timing exactly as written.

Chef Notes & Tips

**Super Crunchy Papaya:**
Soak the shredded green papaya in a bowl of ice-cold water for 10 minutes before assembling, then drain thoroughly. This gives the papaya a refreshing crunch.

**No Mortar & Pestle:** You can easily use a large mixing bowl and bruise the ingredients gently using a wooden rolling pin or the back of a wooden spoon.

**Serving Suggestion:** Pair this salad with warm Thai sticky rice or grilled tofu for a complete, nutritious meal.

Ingredient choices: Soy sauce and tamari differ in salt and wheat content, so taste the dressing with the selected product. Yardlong beans and ordinary green beans are not identical; prepare the chosen beans suitably, using cooked and cooled ordinary green beans when substituting.

Cooking control: Prepare the dressing and dissolve the palm sugar before combining. Bruise aromatics and beans carefully, then fold or lightly pound papaya without crushing it into pulp. Taste a forkful with tomato and peanut before adjusting lime, salt or sugar.

If something goes wrong: A watery, limp salad may have been pounded too hard or dressed too early. Ripe papaya will not produce the intended texture. Excess chilli is better corrected with more undressed salad than with additional sugar alone.

Ingredient Substitutions

• ↔ Vegetable stock → unsalted homemade vegetable broth
• ↔ Coconut cream → unsweetened oat or soy cream
• ↔ Plant yogurt → unsweetened soy or coconut yogurt
• ↔ Maple syrup → date syrup or agave syrup

Food Safety & Doneness

Use clean boards and utensils, wash produce thoroughly and refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours. Check packaged stock, sauces, pastry and noodles and use only products clearly labelled plant-based.

Serving & Plating

Use a wide chilled plate, distribute colour and texture evenly and add the final garnish after dressing.

Serve promptly and add peanuts near the finish. Arrange the shredded papaya loosely so its crisp strands remain visible rather than pressing the salad into a compact mound.

Storage

Store undressed components separately in sealed containers for up to 2 days. Add dressing and delicate garnishes only before serving.

Nutrition & Dietary Information

Calories: 390 kcal

Protein: 17 g

Carbohydrates: 48 g

Fat: 21 g

Approximate values per serving. Actual nutrition varies with brands, trimming, cooking loss and portion size.