Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) is a light, fresh, colorful salad that embodies the flavors of Northeastern Thailand. All of the ingredients are pounded together in a mortar and pestle which helps to develop the sour, savory, and spicy flavors. Once you taste this flavorful dish, it’s easy to see why it’s so well loved!
Like most people who have visited or lived in Thailand, my husband and I have a serious love of Som Tam. We love the spicy green papaya salad itself, but one thing we miss about our years time in Bangkok is the whole experience of the dish. The “pok pok” sound of the wooden pestle hitting the clay mortar is what inspired the name of Andy Ricker’s Thai food empire. Eating the dish is part of a whole Thai dining experience, especially in the Northeastern (Isan) region where the dish is served everywhere – usually alongside Gai Yang and Sticky Rice.
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 to 3 Bird’s Eye Chilis
- 1 tablespoon crumbled palm sugar, more to taste
- ¼ cup peanuts, roasted and unsalted
- 1 cup chopped Chinese long / yardlong beans 2” / 5cm pieces
- 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 heaping cups shredded green papaya
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce (I prefer Red Boat)
- 2 teaspoons lime juice