Som Tum (Papaya Salad)

About This Recipe

A hallmark of Thai street food, som tum is made by pounding shredded unripe green papaya in a clay mortar with chillis, garlic, green beans, cherry tomatoes, dried shrimp, lime juice, fish sauce, and palm sugar into a vibrant, complex salad.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 400 ggreen (unripe) papaya, peeled and shredded
• 2 pcsbird's eye chillies (or to taste)
• 2 clovesgarlic
• 6 pcscherry tomatoes, halved
• 100 gsnake beans or green beans, cut into 5 cm pieces
• 2 tbspdried shrimp (optional)
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 2 tbsplime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1 tbsppalm sugar or brown sugar
• 3 tbsproasted peanuts, roughly crushed

Instructions

1. 1

   Pound aromatics

   Using a large clay mortar and pestle, pound garlic and chillies until roughly broken (not a smooth paste — texture is key).

2. 2

   Add beans and tomatoes

   Add green beans and pound lightly to bruise. Add tomatoes and pound gently until they release their juice.

3. 3

   Season

   Add fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar. Stir and pound lightly to combine.

4. 4

   Add papaya

   Add shredded papaya and dried shrimp. Toss and pound lightly using a spoon to turn the ingredients — this bruises the papaya so it absorbs the dressing without becoming mushy.

5. 5

   Taste and serve

   Taste and adjust: it should be spicy, sour, salty, and slightly sweet. Pile into a plate, top with peanuts, and serve with sticky rice or grilled chicken.

Variations

• •

  Omit dried shrimp and use soy sauce instead of fish sauce for a vegan version.

• •

  Add crab claws for the Korat (Isaan) version.

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Does not store well as papaya releases moisture.