Green Papaya Salad
As soon as spring arrives, I like to prepare light and easy-to-eat foods. Thai Chicken Satay With Peanut Sauce is the ideal finger food for easy dinners with friends or family.
Serve it with Green Papaya Salad, a refreshing accompaniment to the rich flavors of the peanut sauce. Both dishes are popular on the streets of Bangkok when the weather is unforgivingly hot.
You can prepare this meal well ahead of time. The chicken can marinate several days in the refrigerator. The peanut sauce and the salad dressing, too, can be made ahead and refrigerated.
For the salad, use green papayas, which are picked before the sugars in them are mature. They’re crisp with a clean flavor and just a hint of sweetness. Look for them at Asian markets, where you’ll also find red curry paste, dried salted shrimp and Thai chiles.
Arrange papaya, long beans and tomatoes in medium bowl and chill at least 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, chile and dried shrimp in bowl of food processor. Pulse 5 to 10 seconds. (Or use mortar and pestle.) Chill dressing until ready to serve, then toss with papaya mixture. Garnish with peanuts.
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