Thai Green Papaya Salad With Tofu

This Thai green papaya salad is made with tofu and bursts with flavor. It's a light, refreshing one-bowl meal ready in 20 minutes!

Healthy Ingredients In Papaya Salad

You don't have to sacrifice flavor to nourish your body. This salad is bursting with multiple layers of flavor. Just look at all the healthy ingredients that are in it.

• Green Papaya: same fruit as ripe papaya (orange), green papaya is picked early before it ripens. Green papaya has a white, crunchy flesh that picks up any sauce or dressing you serve it with.
• Carrots: Add crunch, color, and sweetness to this dish.
• Cucumbers: Crispy, fresh, and green, add even more veggies to this papaya salad.
• Grape Tomatoes: Juicy and flavorful, they provide a pop or vibrant color.
• Peanuts:  Add a satisfying crunch.
• Cilantro: This is optional, because we know you are either a cilantro lover or you can't stand it. Want to add something green and don't like cilantro? Use Thai basil instead.
• Tofu: This is not a traditional ingredient, but we wanted to add some protein to this Southeast Asian-inspired dish.
• Blanched Green Beans: Traditional Thai papaya salad (Thai som tan) is made with green beans. Feel free to add them to the recipe.

How to Flavor the Tofu

Tofu is a great addition to any vegetarian or vegan meal. It's high in calcium, iron, and magnesium, and adds extra protein and flavor to delicious dishes like this papaya salad! However, it can be a bit tricky to use if you're not familiar with how to prepare it.

Don't make the mistake of simply dumping a package of tofu into your salad. It must be cooked and seasoned first. Seasoning it not only adds flavor, but it also helps to draw out the water content. For this recipe, use the extra-firm variety with high protein.

To prepare it, remove the tofu from its package and rinse it under cold water. Then place a paper towel on your counter, lay out the squares of tofu, and cover with another paper towel to drain. Press out the extra moisture using your hands. You may need to repeat this a few times.

To season the tofu, combine the diced tofu and soy sauce in a large bowl. Next, add the seasoning. We recommend garlic, onion, and ginger powder for this recipe. Toss it all together, making sure it's fully coated.

Heat a pan, then reduce the heat to medium. Next, add the tofu to the skillet and cook for about a minute. Give the pan a shake and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes. You want all the sides of the tofu to be golden.

All About Green Papaya

Green papaya is undoubtedly the star of this papaya salad! If you haven't used a green papaya before, here are some important things for you to know about working with this fruit.

Green Papaya vs Ripe Papaya

For those of you used to seeing papaya with orange flesh, opening up a green one may be a bit of a shock. The green papaya is simply a typical orange papaya picked earlier in the growing process.

While orange papaya is sweeter and a bit creamy, green papaya is crisp, crunchy, and less flavorful. It has a fantastic crunch, and is similar to cucumber or jicama.

You can find green papaya at asian supermarkets. Look for one that is firm with a vibrant green color that isn't yellowing.

Is a Green Papaya Just an Unripe Papaya?

In a word, yes! A green papaya, when left to fully mature will become the standard orange variation you may be used to seeing more often. However, each has its own flavor profile and uses, so we like to give green papaya a bit more credit than just an "unripe papaya".

How to Cut a Green Papaya:

1. Cut the green papaya in half lengthwise
2. Remove and discard the seeds
3. Peel it using a vegetable peeler
4. Shred it using a food processor or by hand using a box grater (using a food processor will make your job much easier!)

How To Store the Papaya Salad

You may make a big batch of papaya salad, but only add the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peanut dressing to the amount you are planning to eat in one sitting. You can make extra dressing to enjoy with other salads or roasted vegetables. Store all the ingredients separately from the dressing. The dressing will last in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

If you store the salad with the dressing on it, eat within 2 days. The ingredients will soak up the liquid from it and the salad won't be as crunchy.

Other Vegan Thai Food Recipes

• Vegan Pad Thai Noodle Salad
• Vegan Thai Lettuce Cups with Peanut Sauce
• Thai Coconut Soup

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Inspiration For This Papaya Salad

We were inspired to create this nourishing salad after our mom's had a heart attack a few years ago. Thankfully, she was treated right away and was able to recover with minimal damage and no further complications.

However, as you can imagine it left us all shaken. It was a wake-up call and I was determined to take better care of my family's health. This salad is a healthy compete meal in one delicious bowl. I hope you find it as nourishing and healing as I do!

This recipe was originally published on June 7, 2017 - The recipe has remained the same and we've added more information about green papaya.