Green Pawpaw Salad with Coconut Rice

THESE TWO DISHES form an older-style combination that is often eaten for lunch with Sweet Salty Beef. The Green Pawpaw Salad, the famous Som Tam from the north-east, is hot, salty and sour. Every province has a different version of this salad — in the north they like to add salted rice-field crabs; in the north-east, rice-field cockroaches. Pawpaw is the most common version of this salad, but cucumber, green mango or pomelo may also be used. The coconut rice is very rich and should o