Papaya Salad Basics

• Papaya salad is a ubiquitous street food available throughout Thailand. Called som tam, the salad is sweet, spicy and savory all in one by way of its predominant flavors of palm sugar, lime juice and Thai chilis. While regional variations abound throughout the country, papaya salad typically includes the simple ingredients of green shredded papaya, cherry tomatoes, long beans, dried shrimp and peanuts. The salad can be made vegetarian by omitting the shrimp and is served most often with sticky rice, which helps to mellow some of the salad's inherent spice.

Finding Green Papaya

• Find green papaya at Asian markets or other grocery stores that cater to a Southeast Asian clientele. Green papaya is available in whole, cut and shredded varieties. Best described as a green football-looking fruit, green papaya should be firm and free of any blotchy, soft spots. Refrigerate whole green papaya for up to two weeks. If purchasing shredded green papaya, use it within one day of purchase for the best results. Use a cut papaya within three days.

Preparing Green Papaya

• Green papaya has a serious crunch and can also be quite difficult to prepare without a sharp knife. Split a papaya in half lengthwise with a knife and remove its seeds using a large spoon. Cut off its stem so that you are able to stand it up on its end without slipping. Hold the papaya perpendicular to the cutting board and start at the top, slicing off its skin in a downward motion. Remove the thin white layer in the inner cavity of the papaya using a small paring knife. Shred papaya using the shredding feature of a food processor or a shredding hand tool. Alternatively, julienne the pieces into thin strips.

Papaya Substitutes

• In some areas, it may be quite difficult to come across green papaya. In this case, there are other vegetables that can be substituted to make a papaya salad-like creation without the papaya. Use shredded carrots or mung bean sprouts as substitution when you are unable to source fresh green papaya. In a pinch, substitute a barely ripe yellow papaya, which will still retain some of the crunch. Do not use a fully ripe papaya, however, as this will create an entirely different type of salad than intended.