Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)
A pounding mortar and pestle is the key to this iconic Thai salad. Shredded green papaya gets bruised (not pulverized) with chili, garlic, lime, fish sauce, and peanuts for an explosion of flavors and textures.
Ingredients
- 2 cups green (unripe) papaya, shredded (use a julienne peeler or mandoline)
- 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2-4 Thai bird’s eye chilies
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon dried shrimp (optional)
- Sticky rice for serving
Instructions
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1
In a large mortar, pound garlic and chilies into a rough paste.
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2
Add green beans and bruise lightly with the pestle. Add tomatoes and dried shrimp (if using). Pound gently to release juices without turning them to mush.
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3
Add fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar. Stir and pound to dissolve the sugar.
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4
Add the shredded papaya. Use a spoon in one hand and the pestle in the other to bruise and toss the papaya in the dressing. Pound lightly — you want it bruised, not mushy.
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5
Add peanuts and toss. Taste and adjust: it should be sour first, then salty, then sweet, then spicy. Serve with sticky rice.
