thai salad

Based on a Nadiya Hussein recipe, slightly adapted.  Hot and spicy!  

• If everyone is ok with true Thai-style hot, put all the sauce on.  If not use half and put the rest in a jug for people to spice it up to taste.

For 4 as a full course or 8 as an accompaniment

• 100g green beans
• Half a papaya, not too ripe, peeled, seeds removed
  
• 1 cucumber, peeled, core removed
• 10 cherrry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 large carrot, peeled
• 1 small red onion
• 150g cooked prawns (or if raw, stir fry for 4 minutes)
• 80g roasted salted peanuts

For the sauce:

• 4 red chillies or 7 bird's eye chillies, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 limes, juice only (about 4 tbsp)
  
• 4 tbsp Thai fish sauce

1. Make up the sauce by putting all the ingredients in a container and whizzing up with a stick blender. If possible do this an hour or more in advance and chill.
2. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain, run under cold water and leave to cool. 
3. Meanwhile, slice up the papaya, cucumber and carrot into thin matchstick-like pieces; halve the onion, thinly slice and separate the rings.
4. Combine the papaya, cucumber, carrot and red onion in a large bowl. Mix by hand. 
5. Add the sauce to the salad and mix everything together. 
6. Distribute the tomatoes, prawns and peanuts on top.
7. Serve chilled.