Lao Papaya Salad – ຕຳຫມາກຫຸ່ງ

Tum Maak Hoong, aka Papaya Salad is a popular spicy salad in Laotian Cuisine. “Tum” means pounded, as the unripe shredded papaya and other ingredients are pounded in a mortar with a pestle.”Mak Hoong” means papaya. The unripe papaya has a crunchy texture and the combined flavors of spicy, salty, sweet and sourness will have this salad satisfying all your taste buds.

The main ingredients in papaya salad include unripe shredded papaya, chilies, garlic, cherry tomatoes, lime, sugar and fish sauce. Some like to add slices of thai eggplant and long bean to give it extra crunch.

 

To make it authentic, Lao people like to use a fermented fish sauce called Padaek. It is a fish sauce condiment that has been cured. It is thicker than fish sauce and often contains pieces of fish. Be warned that the smell of padaek is very pungent, so try not to spill it! Crab paste and shrimp paste is also used to increase the saltiness flavor.

The trick to making a good papaya salad is to make the sauce first. We first pound the chili and garlic. Be careful to cover half of the mortar with one hand as pieces of chili can fly pretty far. Believe me when I say you don’t want to get chili in your eye! You can also add the crab and shrimp paste at this time to help prevent the chili from flying.

Next add all the other ingredients except the shredded papaya. Use the pestle to release the juices from the cherry tomatoes. At this time, you can taste the sauce and see if it’s to your liking. If you like it more on the sour side, add more lime juice. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar. It’s really up to you. Note: some people also like to add a pinch of MSG, but it’s optional.

When you are satisfied with the sauce, add the shredded papaya, thai eggplant and long bean. To get the sauce to cover all the shredded papaya, there is a rhythm to pounding the ingredients. Pound the papaya 3 times and then using a spoon in your other hand, flip the papaya from the outside to the middle so the bottom comes to the top. Continue to do so until the papaya and sauce is fully mixed.

You can add more ingredients if you feel it needs more fish sauce, sugar or lime.

It can be served as a snack with rice noodles, ong choy and pork rinds. Some also like to sprinkle crunched peanuts and dried shrimp on top. To serve it as a side dish, BBQ and sticky rice will make this a delicious meal!