Som Tam

Som Tam

Som Tam

A fiery, tangy green papaya salad pounded in a mortar with chilli, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and dried shrimp — Thailand's most-ordered street salad.

Cuisines

Thai

Best for

Lunch Dinner

Build a full meal around Som Tam

Get a matched combo of sides and accents

Recipe

Prep: 15 min 2-3 servings

Ingredients

Green Papaya 1 cup Green Papaya , shredded
Cherry Tomato 5 Cherry Tomato , halved
Garlic 2 cloves Garlic , peeled
Bird Eye Chili 2 Bird Eye Chili , crushed
fish sauce 2 tablespoons Fish sauce
lime juice 1 tablespoon Lime juice
palm sugar 1 tablespoon Palm sugar
Peanut 2 tablespoons Peanut , roasted
Long Bean 4 Long Bean , cut into 1-inch pieces
Carrot 1 Carrot , shredded
lime 1 Lime , small, cut into wedges

Instructions

  1. 1 In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and chilies until they are roughly crushed.
  2. 2 Add the palm sugar and continue to pound until it dissolves.
  3. 3 Add the fish sauce and lime juice, and mix well.
  4. 4 Add the shredded green papaya, carrot, cherry tomatoes, and long beans to the mortar.
  5. 5 Gently pound and mix the ingredients together, ensuring the vegetables are well coated with the dressing.
  6. 6 Add the roasted peanuts and mix again.
  7. 7 Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce, lime juice, or sugar as needed.
  8. 8 Serve the Som Tam on a plate with lime wedges on the side.

Tips

For a more authentic flavor, use a traditional clay mortar and wooden pestle. Adjust the number of chilies to your preferred spice level.