Recipe: Thai Green Papaya Salad With Chicken, Leah Cohen, NYC
Prep Time:
1 hour,
45 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Servings:
6 servings
Ingredients
4 cilantro stems
3 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
One 14-ounce can coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Kosher salt and ground white pepper, to taste
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup fish sauce
½ cup fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
⅓ cup scallion oil
4 Thai chile peppers, thinly sliced
1 cup canola oil, for frying
1 cup julienned taro
4 cups (about ½) medium green papaya, julienned
1 cup (about 2 small) carrots, julienned
½ cup mint leaves, torn
½ cup cilantro leaves
½ cup crispy shallots
⅓ cup chopped, roasted, unsalted peanuts
Directions
Make the grilled chicken: In a blender, combine all the ingredients, except for the chicken, and purée until smooth. Season the mixture with salt and white pepper.
Place the chicken and marinade in a bowl, then cover it and chill for at least 2 hours or preferably, overnight.
Make the scallion oil: Prepare an ice bath. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and salt and remove the pan from the heat. Once the oil stops bubbling, pour it into a bowl set over the ice bath and cool. Once it is cool, strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer and set it aside.
Make the dressing: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, fish sauce and lime juice until the sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and whisk them well.
Make the papaya salad: Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing the excess marinade to drip off. Set the chicken on a plate, and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
While the chicken is resting, in a small saucepan, combine 1 cup canola oil with the taro. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry the taro until it's crisp and deep, golden brown, for about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the taro and place it on a paper towel-lined plate; season it with salt and set aside.
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Working in 2 batches, grill the chicken until it is lightly charred on the bottom, for about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip it and cook it until the other side is charred and the chicken is cooked through, for another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing it thinly.
Assemble the papaya salad: In a large mixing bowl, combine the papaya, carrots, herbs, peanuts and grilled chicken slices. Add ½ cup of the vinaigrette to the bowl, and toss it to coat the salad. Do not overdress the salad. Once the salad is evenly coated, add ½ the taro and toss it. Garnish the salad with the remaining taro and crispy shallots.