Have you ever had a meal that you know you will rarely find in a restaurant? One that is so special that you know you have to try to recreate it when you find the key ingredients? That is me! Especially living where fresh Asian ingredients are rarely available; I take advantage of when I can get my hands on produce such as green papaya, Chinese broccoli, Asian long beans, or Chinese celery.

This recipe uses the green papaya and the Asian long beans. If Asian long beans are not available in your area, a good substitution would be green beans.

Special equipment needed: mortar and pestle

1 medium green papaya, peeled and shredded (red papaya will not work, it is too ripe)*
5 garlic cloves, peeled
6 Thai bird chilis
2 roma tomatoes
1/2 c Asian long bean OR green beans, 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c lime juice

Peel and shred the papaya, then rinse it under running water to remove the acid. Set aside.

In the mortar, place the garlic and chilis. Mash with the pestle until crushed into chunks. If using a smaller mortar, you will need to do the steps in batches and place into a large bowl to mix together at the end. Place the papaya, the tomatoes, beans, fish sauce, salt and lime juice together in the mortar. Gently smash the ingredients to create a sauce and minimize splashing. Use the pestle and a spoon to mix and scrape the ingredients together. Once well combined, taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve cold with sticky rice and Thai style bbq chicken.

*if using a whole green papaya there are a few ways to shred the papaya flesh. Traditionally, portions of the skin are peeled and using a sharp knife, the flesh of the papaya is slashed to create the shredded pieces. Once that portion of the papaya is sufficiently shredded, use the knife to cut the strands off the fruit. If this process seems scary or not practical, use a julienne peeler and a similar shred can be achieved.  If you are fortunate enough to find the fresh fruit already shredded, snatch it up!