Thai Green Papaya Salad ส้มตำไทย (som tum)
Authentic recipe for Thai green papaya salad (som tum). This version is the Thai style or "som tum thai" that is most commonly offered in Thai restaurants overseas.
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 1/2 cups julienned green papaya (see blog post above for how to julienne papaya)
- 2 cloves garlic
- Thai chilies, to taste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp (18 g) palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
- 3 long beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) roasted peanuts (see note 1)
- 1 heaping Tbsp dried shrimp, roughly chop if you have large ones
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) fresh lime juice (see note 2)
- 2 tsp (10 ml) tamarind paste, store bought or homemade (see note 3)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp (22.5 ml) fish sauce
- 1/2 cup grape tomato halves or one small tomato cut into wedges
- Serving suggestion: sticky rice and BBQ chicken are classic pairings with papaya salad!
Instructions
- 1
Soak the papaya for about 15 minutes in ice water to help make the papaya crunchier. Drain well and place on a towel-lined plate to absorb excess water, rub the top dry with another towel; you want to have as little water on the papaya as possible so as to not dilute the dressing.
- 2
If you have a large mortar and pestle made for som tum:
- 3
In the mortar, pound garlic and chilies into a rough paste.
- 4
Add the palm sugar and mash with the pestle until it turns into a wet paste.
- 5
Add the long beans and pound just until they're broken.
- 6
Add the dried shrimp and peanuts and pound to break the peanuts up slightly so they look "roughly chopped."
- 7
Add the fish sauce, tamarind paste, and lime juice, adding the squeezed lime skin into the mortar as well for extra lime fragrance. Stir with a large spoon to mix and dissolve the sugar.
- 8
Add the shredded papaya and tomatoes, and mix using the pound-and-flip method as shown in the video @8:40. Once everything looks well mixed and the tomatoes are just slightly crushed, it's done!
- 9
Plate and sprinkle with extra peanuts, if desired. For a classic Northeastern Thai meal, serve with sticky rice and the ultimate BBQ chicken
- 10
If you have a small mortar and pestle:
- 11
Follow the instructions above in your small mortar up until you've added the fish sauce, lime juice and tamarind paste.
- 12
Transfer the contents of the mortar into a large mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, and then with a gloved hand, squish the tomatoes gently so the juices come out into the dressing.
- 13
Add the papaya and then mix and massage the papaya with your hand until everything is well mixed and the papaya looks slightly wilted.
- 14
Plate and sprinkle with extra peanuts, if desired.
- 15
If you don't have any mortar and pestle:
- 16
Combine the fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar in a small bowl and stir until most of the sugar is dissolved. Let it sit, and don't worry about any remaining lumps for now.
- 17
Finely mince, press, or grate the garlic with a microplane zester; add to a mixing bowl. Finely mince the chilies and add them to the mixing bowl.
- 18
Roughly chop the peanuts and the dried shrimp (if large) and add to the mixing bowl.
- 19
Smash the long beans with a wooden spoon until they are broken, then cut into 2-inch pieces and add to the mixing bowl.
- 20
Stir the dressing one more time, and if there are still any lumps of palm sugar, use a spoon to press on them and they should dissolve with no issues. Once everything is completely dissolved, add the tamarind paste and stir to mix. Pour the dressing into the mixing bowl.
- 21
Add the tomatoes to the mixing bowl and, using a gloved hand, squish the tomatoes gently so the juices come out into the dressing.
- 22
Add the papaya and then mix and massage the papaya with your hand until everything is well mixed and the papaya looks slightly wilted.
- 23
Plate and sprinkle with extra peanuts, if desired.