Finally summer seems to be lingering in Montreal these days. We haven't hit the heat wave time, but the warmer weather inspires one to eat salads. I almost always eat salad, but now we are receiving better produce, so it's time to have more than lettuce.
I usually have a green papaya, or green mango salad, Thai style, only once a year. Why not more often? I just don't know. It's so refreshing and has flavors reminding me of my birth country, Thailand, where I resided for a mere four years. After that I became a full fledged Canadian losing touch with the flavors of the country. I became a foreigner to Thai food like everyone else around me.
Eventually after discovering Thai restaurants as an adult, I rekindled the memories of Thai food flavours. You could sum it up as sweet, salty, savoury, acidic and spicy. A full on flavor show for the palate.
The salad is inspired by what is called Som Tum. It is usually made with a fish sauce dressing. I have made my own dressing without fish sauce.
Fish sauce is something, which would drive a westerner away if they gave it a whiff. Of course a westerner that has explored foods of the world would understand.
I have purchased vegan fish sauce from an Asian store in the past, and it was not a great representation. It just tasted like salt and yeast extract. Yeast extract has a distinct taste to me and behaves much like MSG.
Recently I discovered fermented black bean sauce which is very salty and can add the umami to things. I use it in small amounts to not have it be obvious. This is my fish sauce replacement which of course is not entirely accurate.
The recipes for vegan fish sauce that I've tried, have not been very accurate either. This is my favourite substitute, if I do say so myself.
Papaya salad
Papaya 450 g
Carrots 80 g
Red peppers85 g
Cabbage 75 g
Cherry tomatoes 80 g
Dressing
I have a tool to make strips. This to me is a nice look. You can use a grater, a processor with a grater, or do it with a knife by hand. It should be very thin like a noodle.
After grating the papaya put it in ice water to crisp up. It really makes a difference. When you add the dressing it stays crispy.
Cut the carrot into the same strips. I suppose for this salad you could use whatever veggies you want.
Traditionally it would use long beans in addition to the papaya. This is not traditional since it's plant based, so I feel at liberty to do what I want to it.
I've chosen to add cabbage and sweet red pepper, along with cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes would be added traditionally.
Dressing
Soy sauce 30 g
Fermented black bean paste 25 g
Lime juice 10 g
Rice wine vinegar 40 g
Chilies 2 or 3 or to taste
Garlic 10 g
Maple syrup or other sweetener 60 g
Sesame oil 10 g
Neutral oil for salad 30 g
Traditionally this dressing would not have oil so it can be omitted. I just prefer to add fat to my dressings (and ultimately to myself, not that I like that part).
Blend ingredients until smooth. Coat the vegetables with the dressing. If you are not eating this right away, add the tomatoes and peppers closer to serving. They will get too soggy if they marinate too long. If you don't mind that then go ahead and add everything together.
I didn't use all of the dressing. I kept it to drizzle more at the end if I wanted more.
I decided to plate the salad in a fried rice paper bowl. This of course is totally optional. I thought it would be fun.
These rice papers are not the kind used for fresh spring rolls. These are thick and firm. They fry into a big puff so it should be cracked in half or in thirds. I did a third of a piece. When you place the pieces in the oil you should press down in the middle and the sides will curl up.
I'm sure some of you don't need this advice as you are probably familiar with this product. For me it is a discovery of recent years.
This is a fun way to eat a salad and if you have guests for a full dinner, it would be nice as a starter. You can make smaller cups if you have several other courses.
I topped it with toasted peanuts, fresh cilantro, and an extra squeeze of lime. If I had some Thai basil at the time, I would have used that as well as a garnish.
This may not be traditional enough for a Thai non vegan native. For me, it served up the savoury, acidic, salty and sweet flavours that come in a Thai Papaya salad.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great day.
Photos taken with a Nikon D7500 and are of my ownership.