One of the increasingly popular menu items at Thai restaurants across the country is green papaya salad. I first heard about this salad from a Burmese refugee living in Texas, but I was unable to find a green papaya. Then Molly Wizenberg wrote about it in the May 2010 issue of Bon Appetit. I tried harder to find the green papaya, but continued to strike out. Finally, green papayas came into season and they were everywhere. Who knew they were a seasonal item?
The salad is a perfect example of Thai food: a beautiful balance of salty, sweet, spicy and sour flavors. But a firm, hard, green papaya must be used.
If the papaya is at all soft, you will have a rubbery, chewy and tough salad.
I gave it to my two testers: my hubby (a Northern transplant to the South), and Brad (a local New Bernian). They both gave it two thumbs up, way up. Brad says he eats everything, and Guy says he likes the sweet/hot combo of flavors. Get the recipe for green papaya salad....
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