Som tam
Pounded Green Papaya Salad
Som tam is made by pounding: chilli and garlic first, then beans, peanuts and tomato, then the shredded green papaya, which is bruised and tossed with the dressing. The salad should taste sweet, sour, salty and hot in turn.
Som tam is the signature dish of north-eastern Thailand, Isan.
Both recipes pound garlic and chillies, add peanuts, dried shrimp and tomatoes and then the shredded papaya, and balance the dressing of palm sugar, lime and fish sauce by taste. One uses 450 g of papaya and 2 chillies; the other uses 4 cups of papaya, 6 chillies and tamarind water.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 450 g green (unripe) papaya, peeled, seeded and shredded
- 2 Thai chillies
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 long beans, cut in 2.5 cm pieces
- 1 tbsp roasted peanuts
- 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp dried shrimp
Method
- Prepare the papaya Cut the papaya in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, peel it and shred it finely with a shredder or a sharp knife.
- Pound the base In a large mortar pound the chillies and garlic until broken, then add the beans and peanuts and crush them slightly.
- Add the dressing and papaya Add the papaya, tomatoes, palm sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and dried shrimp and pound and turn with a spoon until combined and slightly bruised.
- Balance and serve Taste and adjust until it is sweet, sour and a little salty, adding more lime, sugar or fish sauce as needed. Serve at once with sticky rice or grilled meat.
Food safety
Wash all produce. Thai chillies are very hot: wear gloves and wash hands. Contains peanuts and shellfish.
Serve straight away; the papaya weeps.
Use the second source's 6 chillies for a hotter salad.