Don’t confuse Thai salads with the boring lettuce, cucumber and tomato salads the rest of the world enjoys. Like most Thai food, Som Tum is full of flavour and has hints of sweet, spicy, salty and sour! Som Tum, also known as Green papaya salad is a spicy salad which is made from shredded unripe papaya. It originated in Laos but is eaten widely throughout Southeast Asia.
Papaya Salad or named “Som Tum” in Thai, not only delicious in “Taste” but also a “Healthy Food” that provides high fiber but low in energy and fat. “Som Tum” which consists of vegetables and herbs that are beneficial to the immune system and anti-aging such as papaya, garlic, chili and beans. We can say that “Som Tum” is one of the most popular Thai-Northeastern food that you can find around in Thailand from the street food to the well-known restaurant. It is a medium-flavored food inclusive of all tastes of spicy, salty, sweet and sour. It’s a good quality meal when eaten with grilled chicken, sticky rice and fresh vegetables.
“Som Tum” has different varieties and constantly changing based on the different areas and time frames (e.g. Thai Som Tum, Crab Som Tum, Pickled Fish Som Tum etc…). Make your own “Som Tum” style by adding different ingredients. You can mix and match ingredients such as raw banana, strawberry, berries, apple, santol (wild mangosteen), gooseberry, guava, Chinese pear, dragon fruit, carrot, red radish etc. Choose your own style and have fun cooking at home!
Ingredients:
Small green raw papaya, shredded – 1 pc.
Chopped long beans – 4 pcs.
Garlic Cloves – 6 pcs.
Cherry tomatoes cut into quarters – 8 pcs.
Red or green chili – 6 pcs.
Palm sugar – 2 tbsp.
(or 1 tbsp. regular sugar)
Lime juice – 3 tbsp.
Fish sauce or soy sauce – 2 tbsp.
Ground roasted peanuts – 3 tbsp.
Fresh lettuce, green beans, lime wedges
and chili for garnish
Instructions:
1. Peel and seed the papaya and shred it. Then place it in a bowl.
2. Crush garlic with a pestle, then add long beans and tomatoes then pound a few times to releases juices.
3. Add the chili and crush lightly to release the heat.
4. In a separate cup dissolve the sugar in the lime juice and fish sauce.
5. Mix all ingredients together. Serve in a shallow bowl and top with garnish.