← Nouns Cooking · Thai

Ingredients

• 2 cloves Garlic
• 2 Bird's eye chilli
• 3 small dried chillies
• 3 Long beans (kacang panjang), cut into 3 cm pieces
• 2 tbsp Pla ra (Thai fermented fish sauce), bottled
• 1½ tbsp Fish sauce
• 1½ tbsp tamarind purée
• 1 tbsp Palm sugar, grated
• ½ Lime, cut into small wedges
• 5 Cherry tomatoes, halved
• 250 g Green (unripe) papaya, peeled and shredded

Method

1. Pound the garlic and both chillies in a large mortar until coarse.
2. Add the beans and bruise them lightly, then add the pla ra, fish sauce, tamarind, palm sugar and lime wedges and pound gently to release the lime juice.
3. Add the tomatoes and papaya. Pound lightly while turning with a spoon for 1 minute, so the papaya softens a little and soaks up the dark dressing.
4. Taste: salty and sour with a deep savoury funk, and only a hint of sweetness. Serve with sticky rice, raw cabbage and grilled chicken.

Tips

• Buy bottled, pasteurised pla ra sauce (often labelled “fermented fish sauce”) rather than raw fermented fish.
• Add a few salted crabs or a spoonful of rice noodles for the classic street-stall versions.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hungry in Thailand Hot Thai Kitchen Simply Suwanee