Easy Appetizer: Thai Green Papaya Salad

Servings: 4
Make Sure You Have: a string shaver, mortar and pestle

Ingredients:
2 whole cloves of garlic
1 fresh red hot Thai chilies (more to taste)
1 tbsp palm sugar or 1 & 1/2 tbsp cane sugar
1 cup raw green papaya thinly sliced, you can also use carrots or cucumbers
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 & 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/3 cup Chinese long green beans cut about 1½ inches long or regular green beans
5 cherry tomatoes cut in half, or 1 plum tomato cut into quarters
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:
1. Chop palm sugar and cut the stem off of the chili and set aside. Make sure not to rub your eyes after handling the chili.

2. Peel the skin off the papaya and then use shaver to create thin slices. An alternative technique is to slash the papaya with your knife and cut a thin layer of the slash marks.

3. Place Thai chili and garlic cloves in the mortar and crush together until they have a paste-like consistency. Once the paste is made, add in the papaya and alternate between mixing together with your spoon and pounding with pestle.

4. Add the beans and tomatoes and mix together using the alternating pounding and mixing technique. Season with fish sauce, palm sugar, and lime juice. Mix thoroughly, plate and garnish with peanuts.

Serve and enjoy!