LONG BEAN, CUCUMBER, AND TOMATO SALAD

Long Bean, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad image

Provided by Andy Ricker

Yield Makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 dried Thai chiles, soaked for 2 minutes in warm water, drained
3 small garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 lime, cut into 3 wedges
1 tablespoon palm sugar or granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dried tiny shrimp
9 long beans (2 1/2 ounces) or green beans, trimmed, cut into 2 1/2" lengths
2 kirby cucumbers or 1 English hothouse cucumber, coarsely chopped into 1" pieces
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons crushed roasted, unsalted peanuts

Steps:

Place first 4 ingredients in a clay mortar and pound with a wooden pestle until mashed into a fine paste, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp; mash until pulverized and well combined, about 2 minutes. (Alternatively, process in a mini-processor until finely chopped.)
Add long beans to mortar; lightly crush with pestle to bruise. Add cucumber pieces, fish sauce, and lime juice. Mix well. Add tomatoes, lightly crush, and mix in. (Alternatively, place beans and tomatoes in a resealable plastic bag. Roll a rolling pin over bag to bruise vegetables; transfer to a bowl with the cucumber, fish sauce, lime juice, and chile dressing.) Let marinate for 10 minutes. Stir in peanuts.