Thai · Free recipe
Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)
A vibrant, crunchy salad of shredded green papaya pounded with lime, chili, garlic, and fish sauce for a punchy sweet-sour-spicy bite. Refreshing, addictive, and the star of any Thai spread.
Step 1
Peel the green papaya and shred it into thin matchsticks using a grater or peeler if you do not have a shredder. You need about 2 cups. Keep it cold and crisp in the fridge until ready.
Step 2
In a large mortar (or a sturdy mixing bowl), add the garlic and chilies. Pound them with a pestle (or press with the back of a spoon) a few times until roughly crushed but not pureed.
Step 3
Add the palm sugar and dried shrimp if using. Pound a few more times to break down the sugar.
Step 4
Add the green beans and pound lightly just to bruise them so they soak up the dressing.
Step 5
Pour in the fish sauce and lime juice. Stir with a spoon to dissolve the sugar into a dressing.
Step 6
Add the shredded papaya and cherry tomatoes to the bowl.
Step 7
Instead of hard pounding, use one hand with the pestle to bruise and the other hand with a large spoon to lift and fold the salad from the bottom. Do this gently for about 1 minute so the papaya softens slightly and absorbs the dressing but stays crunchy.
Step 8
Taste a strand of papaya. It should be sour first, then salty, sweet, and spicy. Add lime for sourness, fish sauce for salt, or sugar to balance the heat.
Step 9
If it seems dry, add a splash more lime juice; if too sharp, add a pinch more sugar.
Step 10
Transfer the salad and all its juices to a serving plate.
Step 11
Sprinkle the roasted peanuts over the top and serve immediately while crisp and cold.
Tips from the test kitchen
- Use firm, pale green unripe papaya; ripe orange papaya will not work.
- Fold rather than crush so the papaya keeps its signature crunch.
- Start with one chili and add more; this salad can get very spicy.
