Papaya Salad (Som Tum)

When you cook a Thai recipe like a curry, you might want to round out the meal with a salad. Forget the boring old lettuce stuff, make a traditional Thai salad that encompasses spicy and sour, with a salty and sweet kick to it.

Serves: 2

Prep: 20 mins

US

Metric

Ingredients

• 1 cup240ml of firm, unripe green papaya, shredded
• ¼ cup60ml of shredded carrots
• 1 cup240ml of green beans
• 2 cloves2 cloves of garlic
• 1 Tbsp15ml dried shrimp
• 11 bird's eye chili
• 22 tomatoes, quartered
• 1 Tbsp20g unsalted roasted peanuts
• 11 lime, quartered

Dressing

• 1 tsp5g fish sauce
• 11 lime, juiced
• 1 Tbsp10g palm sugar
• 1 Tbsp15ml tamarind juice

Preparation

1. Peel the papaya and shred it with a cheese grater or a julienne peeler. Peel the carrots and shred them like the papaya.

2. In a mortar (or food processor), smash the garlic and chili into a paste. Then add green beans and peanuts and smash until the beans break open and the peanuts break into small pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

3. Add the dressing to the mixture and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the papaya, carrots, tomatoes, and dried shrimp to the bowl, then mix with a spatula. Serve with lime quarters on the side.