Green Papaya Salad Recipe (Som Tum)

Ingredients

• 8-12 Thai chillies (bird peppers), each cut into 3-4 segments
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and cut each into 2-3 pieces
• 2 Tbs. small dried shrimp
• 4 cups julienned peeled unripe green papaya - in strips 2-3 inches long and 1/8 inch thick
• 1 cup cut long beans - 1 1/2-inch-long segments (or substitute with regular green beans)
• 1 julienned carrot (optional)
• 1/4 cup tamarind juice the thickness of fruit concentrate
• Juice of 2-3 limes, to taste
• 2-3 Tbs. fish sauce, to taste
• 2-3 Tbs. palm sugar, melted with 1 Tbs. water into a thick syrup - use as needed
• 2 small tomatoes, cut into bite-size wedges; or 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts