Green Papaya Salad Recipe (Som Tum) ส้มตำไทย - Hot Thai Kitchen!

fish sauce

🥗Healthier: soy sauce

💰Cheaper: salt + water

Soy sauce is easier to find and lower in calories.

palm sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey provides sweetness with a different flavor profile.

green papaya

🥗Healthier: zucchini

💰Cheaper: cabbage

Zucchini can mimic the texture of green papaya.

Thai bird chilies

🥗Healthier: jalapeños

💰Cheaper: red pepper flakes

Jalapeños offer heat with more availability.

Peel the green papaya and julienne it using an Asian style julienne peeler or a knife.

Soak the julienned papaya in ice water for 10-15 minutes to make it crispy.

Prepare the ingredients: chop garlic and chilies, shave palm sugar thinly, and chop dried shrimp if large.

Cut grape tomatoes in half and break long beans into pieces.

Drain the soaked papaya and dry it with a paper towel to remove excess water.

In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and chilies until finely crushed.

Add the palm sugar to the mortar and mash until dissolved, creating a paste.

Break the long beans into the mortar and pound them until slightly crushed to absorb the dressing.

Add the chopped dried shrimp and half of the roasted peanuts to the mortar and pound together.

Pour in the fish sauce and tamarind juice, adjusting for taste as needed.

Squeeze lime juice into the mortar, cutting the lime into pieces for easier squeezing, and add the lime skin for flavor.

Add the remaining peanuts and mix everything together thoroughly.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens