Asian cuisine is mysterious in many ways. Ingredients may not be as they seem.
One of those ingredients is the green papaya, a pear-shaped fruit. Underripe papaya is used more like a vegetable than a fruit; it has little of the tropic sweetness of the Hawaiian or Mexican orange-fleshed fruit.
Generally it is the star ingredient, grated into a salad where its crunchy, cucumber-like texture adds a fresh burst of flavor. The texture is clean and crisp and goes well with Asian flavors like the citrus, soy and sesame oil featured in this recipe from Shubert Ho of Edmonds’ Shooby Doo Catering.
To select a green papaya, Shubert says to make sure to buy a very young papaya that is still firm on the outside. When cutting into the papaya, the flesh should be lime green and not orange. He recommends finding green papaya at Asian specialty stores, Central Market in Shoreline and Mill Creek, and Star Fruits and Vegetables, 19926 Highway 99, in Lynnwood.
“It’s a little hole-in-the-wall tucked away off the road and has some great and unique Asian produce,” Ho says. “They are extremely affordable and always fresh.”
Green Papaya Salad
Serves 4 to 6 salads or 15 to 20 appetizer pieces
Ingredients
1 medium green papaya, peeled and seeded
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 pound white prawns, steamed, peeled and deveined
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Grilled jalapeno, to taste, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
1. Peel the green papaya with a vegetable peeler or paring knife and core it. Then chiffonade it into thin strips with a knife or use a mandolin and shave it.
2. In a bowl, mix green papaya with diced bell pepper, steamed prawns, soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil and fish sauce. Toss until everything is well coated.
3. Place a nice pile of the green papaya salad in the center of salad plates. Add grilled jalapeno and a nice pile of fresh cilantro leaves on top as garnish.
When serving as an appetizer put a bite-sized portion of the salad into a flat-bottomed porcelain spoon. Place a prawn on top and garnish with sliced grilled jalapeno and cilantro leaves.
Recipe by Shubert Ho of Edmonds’ Shooby Doo Catering, www.shoobydoocatering.com.
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