What's a Thai Dish I Can Make?

Update: Scroll down to see the full recipe!

Welcome to "You Said It," East Windsor Patch’s new daily video feature. Each week we’ll pose a new question and go out into the community to see what people in town have to say. A new video will be posted right here every afternoon Monday through Friday.

This week, we talked to Chef Chirada "Da" Detoro of , asking her to show us a recipe we and our readers could try at home.

• Monday: Ingredients
• Tuesday: How to prep your papaya
  
• Wednesday: Making the dressing
• Thursday: Pairing ideas
• Friday: Substitutions

Som Tom — Green Papaya Salad, by Chirada "Da" Detoro

This refreshing dish is served all over Thailand.  Sometimes it is called the National Dish of Thailand.  Only wherever it is made it taste a little different.  In Thailand they also put dried shrimp and fresh water crab with the shell in it or other crunchy things.

Ingredients  

Green Papaya, peeled and shredded—200 grams

Garlic—1 clove

Bird chili—3 chilies

Sugar—3 Tbs.

Chinese ong beans (optional)—50 grams

Tomatoes, quartered—1

Fish sauce—3 Tbs.

Lime juice—3 Tbs.

Roasted peanuts—50 grams

Dried shrimp (optional)—for garnish

Preparation   

      Use a mortar and pestle to crush the chilies and garlic thoroughly. Add the sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce and mix and crush together. Add the long beans and tomatoes and crush a little bit. Mix all of these ingredients thoroughly. Mix the green papaya with this mixture very well.

Taste and season as desired. Garnish with roasted peanuts and dried shrimp. It is ready to serve.

Are you tempted to try the recipe? Have you already done so and want to share your results? Let us know in the comments! And if you've got a question you'd like to see someone in town answer, e-mail East Windsor Patch Editor Geoffrey Wertime.