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1
Shred the papaya using the traditional cleaver technique: score the peeled flesh with parallel cuts using the cleaver tip, then slice thinly across the lines to produce shreds 2–3 mm wide and 5–7 cm long — this irregular, hand-scored texture grips the dressing far better than machine-cut strands of uniform cross-section. A mandoline with a julienne attachment may be used as a substitute. The shreds should be white to very pale green, firm, and without any sweetness.
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2
Place the dried chillies and garlic in a large clay mortar and bruise lightly with the pestle, working toward a rough, fragrant paste rather than a smooth grind, so that the garlic releases its sharp oils in torn pockets rather than dispersing them into an even purée that would disappear into the dressing. The mortar should smell of raw garlic and toasted chilli before you proceed.
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3
Add the long bean pieces and bruise until the beans are slightly split and show light bruising but retain their form — cracking the surface this way allows the dressing to enter the bean without turning it to mush, so it carries seasoning and still pushes back against the tooth. The beans should still offer clear resistance to the thumb.
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4
Add the tomato pieces and bruise lightly until they begin to give juice and the skins crack, so that the released liquid becomes part of the dressing inside the mortar rather than pooling on the plate later. The tomatoes should remain identifiable — not pulped.
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5
Add the fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, and padek if using, then pound and toss with the pestle to combine the liquids and dissolve the palm sugar into the aromatics, so the sugar is fully absorbed rather than settling as a sweet patch at the bottom of the mortar.
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6
Add the shredded papaya — this is where the dish lives or dies. Using a rolling rather than striking motion, press the papaya shreds against the mortar wall with the pestle so that the cell surfaces crack and open to the dressing, but the shreds themselves do not collapse and flood the bowl with their water. The papaya must retain a distinct, audible crunch; crush one shred between the fingers — it should bend and split, not compress into a soft mass.
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7
Taste and calibrate the four flavours — bright and immediate sour from the lime, heat from the chilli, savoury depth from the fish sauce or padek, and a moderating sweetness throughout from the palm sugar — adjusting one element at a time so each correction is legible on the palate before the next is made. All four must be perceptible simultaneously; the balance is correct when no single flavour dominates.
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8
Transfer immediately to a plate and distribute the dried shrimp and whole peanuts over the salad. Serve at once — the papaya should be audibly crunchy, the tomatoes soft and juicy, the peanuts whole and crisp, and the dish wilts within fifteen minutes of bruising.