the spiciest dishes I had in thailand were not the curries, nor the tom yams, but the *salads*. here’s the most popular, papaya salad (som tam):

som tam

(Recipes are from Vatch’s Thai Street Food by Vatcharin Bhumichitr.)

2 garlic cloves 3-4 small fresh red or green chilis green beans 6 oz young green [...]