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Authentic Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

Close-up of a vibrant papaya salad, featuring shredded green papaya, cherry tomato slices, and chopped peanuts.
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Make this authentic Thai Green Papaya Salad, known as Som Tam, for a fresh, crunchy, and zesty side dish. It balances spicy, sour, salty, and sweet flavors perfectly.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups shredded unripe (green) papaya
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup long beans or green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1–3 fresh Thai chilies (adjust for spice level)
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (use soy sauce or tamari for vegan/vegetarian)
  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried shrimp (optional, omit for vegetarian)

Instructions

  1. Place the garlic and Thai chilies into a mortar. Pound them gently until you form a rough paste.
  2. Add the long beans and cherry tomatoes to the mortar. Lightly bruise them with the pestle until they release some juice. Do not over-pound.
  3. Add the shredded green papaya, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar to the mortar.
  4. Use the pestle to gently toss and press the ingredients together. You want to mix the dressing into the papaya without crushing it completely; the salad should remain crunchy.
  5. Taste the dressing mixture and adjust the balance of sour (lime), salty (fish sauce), and sweet (sugar) as needed.
  6. Transfer the papaya salad to a serving plate. Top with the roasted peanuts before serving immediately.

Notes

  • For the best texture, use a mortar and pestle to bruise the ingredients rather than fully crushing them.
  • If you do not have green papaya, you can substitute with shredded carrots or jicama for crunch, though the flavor will change.
  • This salad is best eaten right after preparation to maintain the crispness of the papaya.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://carlacooking.com/papaya-salad-authentic-thai-som-tam-recipe/