Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

I had not been in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for more than ten minutes
before Iwas speeding down side roads, over the Ping River, through
harsh sunlight and down a dusty street where my friend and guide,
Sunny Bovormat, screeched to a halt. With Andy Ricker, Thai food
expert, we descended from the car and entered a lush, breezy world. It
was a wonderfully cool restaurant with a thatched roof, no walls, and
three kitchens, each responsible for something different. The green
papaya salad kitchen, which was near the grilled meats section, was
the busiest, the “pok pok” of the mortar and pestle the background music to the ambience. My two expert guides ordered som tam the
way they wanted it, for in Thai restaurants it is the client who creates
the recipe. I loved my hosts’ choice, and this is their recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 small garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 fresh or dried Thai chile, seeded if desired and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) lengths
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried shrimp, rinsed
• 1 long bean, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces, or 3 standard green beans, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce, preferably Thai
• 2 small green mangoes or papayas, peeled and shredded (1½ cups/375 ml)
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 heaping tablespoon peanuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

PREPARATION

1. Place the garlic, chile, and palm sugar in a mortar and grind them together until they make a paste.
2. Add the dried shrimp and pound them until they break apart.
3. Add the long bean and just crush it with the pestle, then stir in the lime juice and fish sauce.
4. Add the shredded mango and pound it just slightly into the sauce ingredients, then continue mixing using two forks until all the ingredients are combined.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and peanuts and taste for seasoning.
6. Transfer the mixture to a shallow serving bowl and serve immediately, making sure that each guest gets some of the dressing and the juice that the green mango will give up.

NOTE: I call for either green mangoes or papaya here. You may actually use any vegetable mixed with either of the two or, if you cannot find a green papaya or mango, substitute grated unripe pear or an unripe apple—something crisp and tart. All of the Asian ingredients can be found at Asian markets and many supermarkets.