No-Cook Thai Green Papaya Salad Rice Bowl with Peanuts, Lime and Fresh Herbs

Whisk the fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, garlic and chilies together in a small bowl until the sugar has completely dissolved. Taste and adjust — the dressing should hit salty, sour, sweet and hot all at once, with no single note dominating.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice, cooled to room temperature
• 1 medium green (unripe) papaya, peeled and shredded (about 4 cups)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup long beans or green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar or light brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 to 2 Thai bird's eye chilies, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
• 1 cup mixed fresh Thai basil and cilantro leaves
• 1 small carrot, shredded

Instructions

1. Whisk the fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, garlic and chilies together in a small bowl until the sugar has completely dissolved. Taste and adjust — the dressing should hit salty, sour, sweet and hot all at once, with no single note dominating.
2. Peel the green papaya, halve it lengthwise and scrape out the white seeds. Shred the flesh on the large holes of a box grater or with a julienne peeler into long, thin strands, then transfer to a large bowl with the shredded carrot.
3. Add the long beans and cherry tomatoes to the papaya. Using the back of a wooden spoon or a pestle, bruise the beans and tomatoes lightly against the side of the bowl — just enough to split their skins and release juice, not enough to turn them to pulp.
4. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss firmly with your hands or two spoons for a full minute, pressing as you go so the papaya softens slightly and absorbs the liquid. Let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature.
5. Divide the cooled jasmine rice among four wide bowls, spreading it into an even layer rather than a tight mound so the dressing can find its way through.
6. Pile the papaya salad over the rice, spooning any dressing left in the bowl across the top. Scatter generously with crushed peanuts and a large handful of Thai basil and cilantro leaves.
7. Serve straight away with extra lime wedges, and let each person toss their own bowl at the table so the peanuts stay crunchy until the last bite.
8. Som tam, the pounded green papaya salad of Thailand's northeast, is traditionally made to order in a clay mortar so the cook can tune the balance to each customer's taste. Serving it over cooled rice turns a fiery side dish into a complete midday meal, and the fact that nothing needs to touch a stove makes it ideal for the hottest stretch of summer. Green papaya itself is barely sweet — it behaves more like a crisp cucumber, which is exactly why it can carry a dressing this assertive without collapsing.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 440 kcal
• Protein: 12g
• Fat: 12g
• Carbohydrates: 72g
• Fiber: 7g
• Sugar: 14g
• Sodium: 1120mg