Raw Papaya & Mangrove Crab Salad (Gỏi Đu Đủ Ba Khía)

Ingredients

• 1 raw papaya, shredded 
• 150g mangrove crabs (can be purchased in Asian stores)
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
• 50g cow-peas/snake beans, cut into 5cm pieces
• 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped 
• 1 cup fish sauce
• 1 cup lemon juice 
• 1/2 cup palm sugar, crushed
• 2 cups tamarind juice

Method

* Prepare the mangrove crabs and tamarind juice: 

- Remove all inedible parts of the crabs including bibs and lungs, rinse thoroughly them with warm water and drain.

- Heat 1 cup of tamarind juice with 3 tbsp sugar until slightly thick, the taste of the juice should be sweet and sour. Let it cool.

- Combine 1 tsp crushed garlic + 1 tbsp finely chopped chili + 1 tbsp salt + tamarind juice into a big bowl , add the crabs, mix well and marinate it for 2-3 days in a fridge.

- For people who are afraid to eat raw crabs, you can heat it in a pan for 3 minutes on medium low heat before mixing with salad.

* Prepare the salad: 

- In a big mortar and pestle, to serve 1 person, beat 1 garlic clove and 1-2 fresh chillies, then add some snake beans, 1-2 mangrove crab, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp tamarind juice, 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp crushed palm sugar, mix well altogether. Add tomatoes and a handful of shredded raw papaya. Slightly beat all ingredients well to combine. 

- Serve fresh with white cabbage and cucumber.

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