How to Make an Authentic Spicy Thai Green Papaya Salad, Som Tam at Home

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.

Run through the ingredients: small dried shrimp, palm sugar, raw peanuts, green papaya, red tomato, limes, red Thai Birds Eye chilies, fish sauce.

Use a speed peeler with a julienne head to shred the green papaya.

Roughly chop the palm sugar and heat it in a pan with a small splash of water until it reaches a consistency thicker than honey.

Soak raw peanuts in warm water for 20-30 minutes to remove skins.

Cut the limes into quarters, discarding the core to make squeezing easier later.

Peel the green papaya carefully, using a julienne peeler to create thin strands.

Set aside the shredded papaya in a bowl, ensuring even peeling to avoid hitting the core.

Set aside three Thai Birds Eye chilies for later use.

Dissolve the palm sugar in water and let it cool to room temperature before adding to the salad.

Remove skins from the soaked peanuts, or use store-bought roasted peanuts if preferred.

Deep-fry the peanuts in sunflower oil at 160 degrees C until golden and crunchy, then drain on kitchen paper.

In a mortar, add two cloves of garlic and the three Birds Eye chilies, pounding them together.

Add a tablespoon of the cooled palm sugar to the mortar and mix well.

Pour in about a tablespoon of fish sauce and squeeze in the juice of one lime, mixing thoroughly.

Roughly chop and add one whole tomato to the mixture.

Add a couple of tablespoons of peanuts and a tablespoon of dried shrimp, mixing everything together.

Finally, add a handful of shredded papaya and mix gently to combine.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens