The most popular salad of Thailand and Laos is the Green Papaya salad. On the first bite, your tongue should taste extreme heat, salt, and sour all at once. The taste is invigorating!

Ingredients:

1-4 chilies

1 garlic clove

3 cups shredded green papaya

1/2 cup sliced tomatoes

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon shrimp paste

3 tablespoons squeezed lime

1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

2 tablespoons dried shrimp (optional)

In a mortar and pestle, crush chilies and garlic until they are separated. Add the papaya and the remaining ingredients into the mortar. Using the pestle to crush and a tablespoon to stir, mix all the ingredients in the mortar. When the sugar and shrimp paste are dissolved the papaya salad is ready to be served. Toss the papaya salad over rice noodles and sprinkle some toasted peanuts on top to make this salad a meal.