Ingredients

Serves 4

　　

Step 1

Whisk together 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce such as nam pla, 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon palm sugar, and 2 tablespoons tiny dried shrimp in a large bowl. Add 1 peeled and very thinly sliced shallot and 1 fresh Thai chile, thinly sliced crosswise, and let stand for 15 minutes, then add 1/2 green papaya, peeled, seeded, and julienned, and 1 peeled and julienned medium carrot and let stand for 15 minutes to 30 minutes longer. Tear 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves and 1/4 cup cilantro leaves; crush 1/4 cup peanuts. Stir herbs and nuts into salad. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chile so there is a proper balance of hot, sour, salty, and sweet. Serve immediately.

　　

Ingredients

Step 2

Green papaya can be found in most Asian markets. The flesh should be pale green and the seeds should be white. If the flesh is not green and the seeds are gray or black, the papaya is too ripe and will be too sweet. As a substitute, try a combination of julienned carrot, jícama, and Belgian endive.

　　

Step 3

Palm sugar, from the Palmyra palm or the date palm, is golden brown in color and sold in many guises (most often in blocks or tins or as a paste in tubes). It is available at Asian markets. Light brown sugar can be substituted.

　　

Step 4

Dried shrimp are used in Asian and Latin American cooking. Look for them in Asian markets.

　　Reprinted with permission from Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook by Martha Stewart. Copyright © 2008 by Martha Stewart. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of bestselling books on cooking, entertaining, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy-winning, daily national syndicated program, and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which publishes several magazines, including Martha Stewart Living; produces Martha Stewart Living Radio, channel 112 on SIRIUS Satellite Radio; and provides a wealth of ideas and information on www.marthastewart.com.