After my Duck Off adventure which was preceded by a 10 course Japanese meal, I needed to compensate for my unholy ingestion of food by balancing it with seven days of salads. When we holidayed in Thailand a few years ago, we were told that Thai women turn to this Som Tum salad when they want to lose weight as it’s healthy, high fibre and low fat. They use tiny dried crabs which are things that I don’t particularly go for (and I had no idea where I would find them). I was also told that the secret to the petite and slender Thai figure is that Thai women infrequently have the coconut laced curries and if they do they eat small portions of it whereas whenever we eat Thai foods, we go straight for the delicious but calorie laden foods.
I was sent some gorgeously sweet and fresh Crystal Bay prawns and I knew that these would be the perfect substitute for those tiny crabs. I’m used to seeing Crystal Bay prawns on restaurant menus – you know when they’re something to write home about when they name the origin or brand of an item and they are reportedly used by Tetsuya and Neil Perry.
This salad is pretty much fat free and with a glorious crunch to it which always helps to satisfy late night snacking cravings which is my downfall time. For some it’s the 4pm afternoon slump, for me it’s the 10pm mad dash for the fridge where I fling open the fridge door in search for something to satisfy the urge to chew on something. This recipe makes a large amount which is not a bad thing by any means and snacking on this late at night is a lot healthier than going for the cake that I always seem to have in my fridge. A Thai may scoff at this version as I’ve omitted the dried shrimp but alas I didn’t have any. I did specify a rather generous amount of prawns but I do love it when you get a lot of prawn in your mouthful of green papaya.
So tell me Dear Reader, when is your “danger time” for snacking?
Green Papaya Salad with Prawns
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
For the salad:
- 400grams /14ozs cooked prawns (I used Crystal Bay prawns) peeled
- 1kg/2 lb green papaya
- 1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts
- 1/2 cup chopped spring onion (green part)
- halved cherry tomatoes (optional)
- a few Thai basil leaves, shredded
For dressing:
- 1-2 large red chillis, sliced in rings
- 2 fat garlic gloves peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
Buyer’s tip: Green Papaya or Green Mango can be found at Asian Grocery stores. You may sometimes have to ask for it. I bought mine at Thai Kee supermarket in Chinatown. Buy a firm, even coloured green papaya and check the bottom of the papayas and avoid ones with white mold.
1. Make the salad dressing by mixing all of the dressing ingredients together in a bowl and allow to sit aside to dissolve sugar.
2. Grate the green papaya-I would recommend using gloves although I don’t know if these are strictly necessary. I did find that I got some little bumps on my fingers afterwards. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add these to the salad along with the chopped spring onions, Thai basil leaves and most of the chopped peanuts (reserving 2 tablespoons to sprinkle over the top).
3. Toss the salad with the dressing and sprinkle the extra peanuts on top.
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now? 
NQN on Facebook
RSS
56 Comments | Add your own
I’m absolutely the same – late at night. My tummy becomes bottomless when the sun goes down, for some reason!
Also, thank you for reminding me how very much I’ve wanted to try green papaya salad… for years. I just never seem to end up at restaraunts that have it (unless you pre-order it), and have yet to try making it myself. But you do make it look easy…
In Colombia we eat a lot of papaya!!!This salad looks wonderful!I am drooling here looking at those pictures.
This looks absolutely incredible, Lorraine! I love the flavors in Thai dishes and I love how this healthy salad has all the flavor without the fat. Plus, I think the grated papaya looks like noodles which helps me feel like I’m eating pasta!
Looks very tasty, never heard of green papayas before. Don’t think we get them in the UK.
Looks very delicious and healthy – you’ve almost inspired me to get dressed and head to the fish markets this morning..
Those prawns are beautiful, what a gift!
And I love green papaya salad. Most of the time I’ve had it really really spicy, but yours seems to be more on the refreshing side (until you bite into a chili, of course).
This salad looks marvelous. Another one bookmarked!
What an excellent healthy salad recipe, Lorraine! I will definitely try to make this. I need a new salad recipe in my repertoire.
My snack downfall time is usually in the afternoon at work. If things are quiet, my apetite seems to increase diproportionately. I think it’s boredom.
I’m no stranger to splurging, but I don’t think I could do seven days of salads.
oh delicious! Love som tam and I like your version with fresh prawns.
Green papaya salad is one of my favourites, and with prawns it looks extra tempting!
This salad is making me hungry. It’s a thing of beauty!
My worst snacking time is once I start for the day. The longer I hold out, the better of I am because it leaves less snacking time in the day. Isn’t life tough sometimes?
Oh my, this is simply perfect. The last papaya salad I had was so blah by comparison… definitely changing out recipes now.. great photo too!!!
My danger time for snacking is every single time I look at your blog! This salad brings back memories of the $4 lunch special Green Papaya Salad I always used to order from a beloved Thai restaurant near my university…mmm
I am not a huge fan of dried shrimp, so I love your version! So beautifully photographed too.
I am only new to Green Papaya Salad. I first saw it on Luke Nguyens SBS show. I had one with soft shell crab at the new Red Spoon restaurant at Castle Towers. I loved the texture but they added a lot of chilli (which I wasn’t expecting as there was no warning on the menu).
If I can get my hands on a green papaya I will need to give it a go.
I always snack when I ‘study’ since there’s nothing better to do! I’ve never had green papaya before- does it taste like normal papaya? The salad sounds reall good =]
Fantastic salad. For some reason I have been having way too many 6, 8 and 10 course meals lately. So bad for the figure! This looks so appealing, yet healthy. Great version with the prawns.
Danger time for me is when I get home for work. With an abundance of food overflowing from both pantry and fridge available, Mr Mélanger needs to be on the watch out for my sneaky trips to the kitchen! LOL.
That looks virtuously delicious. Sadly, I can go off the rails at any time of day
Late afternoon is probably the worst.
i love love som tum!
love the crunchiness of the papaya..
i think it’s all in the sauce.. mmmm
That is one of my favorite Thai dishes! So light, fresh, flavorful and healthy!
Cheers,
Rosa
I love this salad but always found the ones in Thai restaurants added too much chilli for my taste, what a great idea to make your own, those prawns look so good! Thank you for the recipe.
i think u meant “mixing” rather than “missing” in step one? heehee… i loooveeeeee papaya salad!
Yum! Last time you blogged about Thai food on a Sunday morning I’d just woken up ravenous for the Thai food I’d eaten the day before and it was a kind of sweet torture.. though I returned to that blog post about 5 times that day! Today though, I’m happy to say that while you’ve got me salivating, there’s a container of som tam in the fridge we brought home from the same Thai restaurant (TomToon in Richmond) yesterday and I’m going to eat it now!
(Anytime I’m awake is danger time for snacking for me!)
I’m almost always famished when 3PM hits. I need a cuppa hot choc and I do an out-of-office bakery run.
Your salad looks lovely – and those prawns look magnificent. Aside from snacking, I think this would make a summery main course.
Thanks for this recipe.
I have wanted to try this for some time now.
Yummo – Crystal Prawns can send me a package of prawns any day.
Danger time for me for snacking is any time in between meals – I am perpetually hungry.
This looks very delish. I really like this dish – the fresh and distinct flavours are a nice sweet-savoury. I’m going to give this recipe a shot.
Danger hours for snacking are after 11pm when I’m just about tired but just about to feel hungry. What a dilemma! Thanks for sharing, Lorraine.
Danger time… Probably when I get home from school. Especially if I’m the only one home. And there is a plate of cookies.
Wow what a gorgeous dish suggestion for my mum’s birthday. It’s like a work of art. Thanks Lorraine.
I do so love Thai salads – you’ve just reminded me- I have a pomelo from CNY – I can adapt this with Pomelo and Prawns – also in my refrigerator! Great!
That looks absolute delish. Am definetly trying!
Danger time for snacking? It has to be post-reading your blog on bed right right before sleeping time … gosh how could one not salivate.
To avoid unnecessary salivation that often contributes to my waistline, I shall now read your blog in daylight!
BTW this is one good & simple recipe!
I was wondering when you would post this recipe after we chatted about it! Looks wonderful, esp. the generous amount of prawns.
I find I feel peckish at 11am because I exercise in the morning, even with a healthy low GI brekky, I’m starving by mid-morning. My only hope is that it’s because my metabolism is roaring
one of my favorite salads of ALL TIME!
Never had green papaya before… but I think it would go down well right now
First of all, the prawns are calling my name
They’re absolutely beautiful looking.
This is my favourite Thai salad but never had one with plump prawns.
Danger time is 4 PM probably because I’ve developed this habit since childhood that 4 PM is tea time with sweet and savory snack.
Looks lovely and fresh perfect for a hot day such as today
prawns look great. nice and firm and not too messy inside them. did you use a proper papaya shaver or just a normal regular one.
excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin.
Papaya works very well in salads. We had some lovely ones in Thailand.
I am terrible during the colder months. And also when I am writing a post, I need to nibble.
I love som tum! Actually made some last week (with dried prawns alas, the fresh prawns looks so much yummier!). I actually still have half a green papaya in the fridge because it was so huge, wonder how long they keep?
Danger time is definitely around 4ish when I need a sugar boost to keep me going!
Love this, so flavourful and refreshing!
beautiful salad, it looks so healthy and delicious..I don’t know if it’s true what they say about coconuts and weight gain or the green papaya and losing weight..I just love them both!
ah, a light yet totally satisfying salad–that’s the stuff, lorraine! and by the way–no ingestion of food (even one’s weight in duck) should ever be considered unholy.
Haha snacking time is ALL THE TIME! Ohdear… there’s really no way I’d lose weight! Ah well… but I bet this is really healthy and tasty!
Ha!Som Tum is my current food obsession! I’ve made piles of it recently, but as you say it’s fresh healthy and light. I often grill/bbq a piece of salmon to pop on top, and use a different dressing recipe…yum!
I’d love to try this, snack time is anytime for me too! I’m a bit of a gormandizer(ask my friends, lol).
I know fish sauce is a key ingredient for a lot of Thai dishes but I’m not sure how to choose a good one, or how to tell how much to use (whether more or less by the potency) any suggestions?
Looks delicious, quick and easy to make, and if it will aid weight loss, that’s even better. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lorraine, last week we had an “international theme lunch” at work and one of my colleague did similar salad using chicken poach in lemon grass, galangal and coconut milk. And in the salad he add finelly sliced lemon grass, it was such a wonderful explosion of flavors. I love this recipe that you have posted. I will try it a soon as I have the chance.
Late at night is the danger time , walk to the fridge robot like , stuff face , go to sleep . I’m going to have a go at this one it could be the answer to those late night cravings .
This is the BEST, eaten with prawn crackers!!! One of my all time favs!
i had so much papaya salad when i was in thailand. so simple yet so tasty! have yet to try my own though.
my danger time for snacking would have to be 3 o’clock when i’m at work – i always start eating everything in sight!
what could be better that a mountain of fresh prawns on any salad!!!that looks delicious!!!!
Gorgeous salad, Lorraine! This is actually one of my favorite Thai dishes, especially since coconut milk does funny things to my tummy.
Green Papaya salad – food from the Gods or should that be the Goddess – a truly great dish.
Post a Comment