सोम तुम

Pounded to order in a clay mortar, so the papaya stays crisp and the chili hits the back of your throat.

• Green papaya, shredded fine and kept cold.
• Chili, pounded hard, seeds and all.
• Lime juice, squeezed in at the last second.
• Dried shrimp and roasted peanuts, for the salty crunch.
• Tomato wedges, bruised just enough to bleed.

This is the Isaan version, hot and sour rather than sweet, built the way the northeast has always made it. Everything goes into the mortar in order, hardest ingredients first, and comes out with the textures still separate. Vegetarian if you ask us to leave the dried shrimp out. Contains: nuts, shellfish, fish.