Green Papaya Salad

We are currently living in an area that doesn't have green papaya. However, someone told me to use cucumber as a substitute. I actually tried it this time, and it worked well. The texture is pretty much the same, yet doesn't retain its firmness as well.

Green Papaya Salad

 Ingredients:  

1 clove Garlic

1 or 2 red Thai Chilies

2 tablespoons dried Shrimp

Thai palm sugar, to taste

1/4 cup roasted Peanuts

2 cups green Papaya strands

6 cherry Tomatoes

Juice of 1 fresh lime- to taste

Soy sauce

Fish sauce, to taste

Method:

Pound the garlic and bird’s eye chilies until they form a smooth paste.

Add the dried shrimp and pound until the pieces are broken up, but not completely pulverized.

Add the palm sugar (cut into small pieces), maybe 2-3 teaspoons at first. Add the peanuts and lightly pound until they are broken into small pieces, but not to the point where they form a thick paste.

Add the papaya and tomatoes and pound on them until the tomatoes begin to burst. Add a few teaspoons of fish sauce and a couple of teaspoons of lime juice to the mix.

Adjust taste by adding additional palm sugar, soy sauce, lime juice and fish sauce. Serve cold immediately.

Lemon-Garlic Chipotle Shrimp

This is a scrumptious meal, especially if you like a hot, spicy, & tomato-ey shrimp dish. I normally serve this over my Asiago-Corn Polenta, which is also a little spicy, but you can also serve over some cheesy grits, or omit the Serrano peppers from the polenta.

Lemon-Garlic Chipotle Shrimp

**served over Asiago-Corn Polenta-see recipe

For Shrimp:

1 & ½ pounds Shrimp-washed, deveined & tail removed

3 cloves of fresh chopped Garlic

2-3 sprigs of Green onions-sliced

1 cup fresh chopped flat leaf Parsley

1 cup Chipotle pepper in Adobo sauce

Juice of 2 Lemons

2-3 Shallots-minced

Nature’s Seasoning to taste

1 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

½ teaspoon Chipotle powder

Serrano pepper (optional) with seeds removed

Directions:

Heat oil & butter on medium-high heat. Sauté garlic, green onions, & shallots together. Add shrimp, mixing well. Add parsley, lemon juice, and all seasonings. Cook for about 5minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through. Add Serrano peppers if you like it very spicy. Otherwise, omit. Serve over Asiago-Corn Polenta.