Papaya Salad

There is something about eating that perfect dish and I came upon one a couple weeks ago. Thai or Lao Papaya Salad hits all my taste buds. It's spicy, sweet, sour, and tasty. The base starts with some chili peppers, garlic, salt, lemon, fish sauce, tomatoes, throw in pad tak, fermented crab or fish and a dream of a dish is composed. I was attending the Laotian New Year celebration a couple weeks ago in Virginia . A family friend Mrs. Lee made this wonderful dish for me. She hasn't been a food vendor at this event for a long time. She came out of retirement this year and I had to have her food. She is a master of her craft and I even got to video tape how she made my Tum Mak Hung.