Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)
Som Tum Thai is the sweeter, milder version of green papaya salad that’s commonly served in Thai restaurants. It’s balanced with lime, palm sugar, and fish sauce, without fermented ingredients like pla ra or pickled crab. This is often the first papaya salad people try, and it’s a great introduction to Thai flavors.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, skin peels, and leave whole
- 2-8 Thai chilis, as needed for personal spice level
- 3/4 cups green beans, chopped 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 Thai eggplant chopped thin 1/2 inch in size (optional)
- 8 cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar or tablespoons brown or white sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried shrimp
- 1.5 tablespoons tamarind sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 slices of lime 1/4 inch each, squeeze the juice, then add the wedges to the mortar for more flavor.
- 2 cups shredded green papaya
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup unsalted peanuts, whole nuts, not crushed
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the green papaya. Wash, and pat dry with paper towels. You can cut the peeled papaya in half before peeling it if it's easier to grip the fruit with your fingers. Peel the skin off of the papaya with a sharp knife.
- 2
Rinse the papaya again with cold water as sticky saps will ooze from the peeled papaya skin. Pat dry, then peel the raw papaya into small pieces with the kiwi peeler. Place the peeled papaya slices into a large bowl of ice water to keep them fresh and crunchy for the pounding. Save the rest of the papaya for more salads for the next few days.
- 3
Add garlic and chilis in a large mortar and pestle. Lightly pound the garlic and chilis. Do not turn it into a paste. Also, have a large spoon ready to scrape and flip the ingredients alongside the wooden mortar.
- 4
Add the green beans, Thai eggplants, and peanuts. Pound until bruised but not crushed.
- 5
Add the sliced tomatoes, palm sugar, tamarind sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice. Toss the squeezed lime wedges into the mortar as well. They add a subtle bitter note from the lime zest that balances the salad. Use the spoon often to scrape, scoop and stir all the ingredients for an even mixing.
- 6
Add the shredded papaya, shredded carrot, and dried shrimp. Pound everything together well using a large spoon to stir and mix the ingredients in the mortar.
- 7
Taste the finished salad and adjust with more sugar, lime juice, or fish sauce until you get the best taste for your salad. Use the spoon to scoop and turn the salad in the mortar before serving. Sprinkle crushed peanuts on top before place in a serving plate. That’s it! Enjoy!