Shredded green papaya, cherry tomatoes, green beans, peanuts, and a fish sauce-lime dressing. The Thai street salad that defined an entire cuisine.
Peel green papaya and shred into long thin strips using a julienne peeler or knife. It should be very firm — ripe papaya will not work.
Pound chilies and garlic in a mortar. Add palm sugar and pound until dissolved. Add fish sauce and lime — taste obsessively until balanced.
Add papaya to mortar and bruise with pestle — do not pound to a pulp. The bruising allows dressing penetration while keeping crunch.
Add halved tomatoes and crushed peanuts. Toss gently. Serve immediately with sticky rice. This does not wait.