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5 from 1 vote

Thai green papaya salad ( Som Tam )

Thai green papaya salad, which in Thailand is known as as Som Tam (ส้มตำ), is one of the most commonly available and popularly consumed dishes in Thailand.
In this recipe you’ll learn how to make an authentic version of Som Tam, that’s easy to make, and tastes delicious.
The mortar & pestle typically used for this dish are made from wood. The benefit of using wood over any other material is that it's a little softer and preserves some of the papaya texture while pounding. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: Fish sauce, Papaya
Servings: 1
Calories: 287kcal

Ingredients

  • 2.8 Oz Papaya Slivered
  • 0.5 Oz Garlic Cloves about 2
  • 0.5 Oz Thai Chili about 10
  • 0.5 Oz Long Bean chopped
  • 1.7 Oz Cherry tomato
  • 0.3 Oz Dried shrimp
  • 0.5 Oz Roasted peanuts
  • 2 Tbsp Palm sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Fish sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Fresh lime Juice

Instructions

  • Add the garlic, Long Bean, Thai chili (As many as wanted to get your level of spicy) to the mortar (krok). Pound them for a few seconds.
  • Add  palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice into the mortar. You can always start with less seasoning and add more to your liking.
  • Mix and pound the dressing, making sure the palm sugar gets fully dissolved into the liquid and than add the tomatoes, lightly breaking up the tomatoes.
  • Add roasted peanuts, dried shrimp and green papaya into the mortar. Mix it all together, doing a combination of using just a spoon and pounding lightly, but no need to pound hard.  
  • Dish out the green papaya salad onto a plate. Garnish your green papaya salad with long-beans.

Notes

If you don't have a mortar and pestle, just chop up the garlic and chilies, and prepare everything in a metal or glass mixing bowl.