This recipe breakdown originally appeared in The Mouthful, our weekly food newsletter for the curious home cook.
Som tum (sometimes som tam) is a Thai style papaya salad that uses green, unripe papaya (but could be made with shredded cabbage or carrots if you can’t find it).
You can make it as spicy or funky as you like — just dial the chilis and fish sauce accordingly.
Keith McBrayer
CREATOR
Ingredients
Fruit & vegetables
- green papaya, thinly sliced1-2
- green beans, roughly choppeda handful
- tomatoes, roughly choppeda handful
Aromatics
- garlic, diced2 cloves
- peanuts2 spoonfuls
- fresh ginger, diced1” knob
- red thai chiles, slicedto taste
Dressing
- sugara sprinkle
- salta sprinkle
- fish saucea spoonful
- lime juicea spoonful
Method
Step 1: Crush the aromatics
In a mortar & pestle, crush all aromatics until they form a paste.
Scoop out into a large salad bowl.
Step 2: Bruise the vegetables
In batches, lightly crush the papaya shreds and vegetables in the same mortar & pestle.
- This will bruise and allow them to soak more of the dressing.
Step 3: Toss & adjust seasonings
Toss the vegetables with the aromatic paste, and then add a sprinkle of salt, some sugar, and a few spoonfuls of lime juice and fish sauce.
Do this a bit at a time until the salad is seasoned to your liking. Enjoy!
FAQ
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