I know we’re still thinking about turkey, turkey, stuffing, and pie. Still, long before the leftovers are gone, we’ll be ready for something tangy, fresh, and alive with flavor. That’s partly why I’ve pre-emptively had Christina Arokiasamy’s Green Papaya Salad on my mind. I’m a fan of her book, The Spice Merchant’s Daughter, and I made papaya salad in the cooking class I took at her home a few months back.

At the hands-on class, I was wowed by how neatly perfect papaya shreds fell into the bowl, thanks to the tool Christina handed me to grate with. I had to ask what it was called. She told me something to the effect of, “Oh, that’s a papaya twizzler!” And then I had to ask where she got it. “At Ikea!” Oh, OK. 

Pause. 

“In Bangkok.”

When I told that story recently, Christina let me know she picked up a spare twizzler for me on her last overseas trip, which I can’t wait to try out. She says it’s the same as this “Miracle Knife”. And, she kindly allowed me to share her salad recipe, which is spectacularly tart and complex and so plain delicious it deserves a holiday of its own. 

Green Papaya Salad

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2-1/2 tablespoons palm sugar syrup (make this by cooking an 8-ounce block of palm sugar in 1/4 cup water over medium heat, without stirring, until melted) or brown sugar
1 small green (unripe) papaya
5 garlic cloves
2 to 3 serrano chiles, to taste, sliced
1 to 2 tablespoons dried shrimp (optional)
3 ounces yard-long beans, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
6 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
10 green cabbage leaves, torn into 2-inch pieces
5 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts, crushed

Directions:
1. To prepare the dressing, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, and palm sugar syrup in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes.

2. Peel the papaya and cut it in half. Scoop the white seeds out with a spoon and discard. Shred the papaya. Grate only the green fruit, stopping when you come close to the inner white layer. Set aside.

3. Combine the garlic, chiles, and dried shrimp in a mortar and mash with a pestle. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the papaya, long beans, and tomatoes. Pour in the dressing and toss well.

4. To serve, place the salad on a serving plate and arrange the cabbage on the side. Garnish with peanuts. To eat, each person may use the cabbage to scoop up the papaya salad.

Serves 4.

— Rebekah Denn