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Authentic Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

Close-up of a fresh papaya salad featuring shredded green papaya, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and crushed peanuts.
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Make this crisp, spicy, and tangy Thai Green Papaya Salad, known as Som Tam. It balances sour, sweet, salty, and spicy flavors, using shredded green papaya and a fresh lime dressing. This is a refreshing side dish or light lunch.

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 Thai bird’s eye chilies (adjust to your spice preference)
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar or granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried shrimp (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the dressing base: Place the garlic and chilies in a mortar. Pound them gently until they form a rough paste.
  2. Add the palm sugar and dried shrimp (if using) to the mortar. Pound until the sugar dissolves into the paste.
  3. Add the lime juice and fish sauce. Stir to combine the dressing ingredients.
  4. Add the long beans and cherry tomatoes to the mortar. Lightly bruise them by gently pounding them a few times; do not mash them completely.
  5. Add the shredded green papaya to the mortar. Use a pestle to gently toss and bruise the papaya with the dressing. You want the papaya to soften slightly and absorb the flavor, but keep its crunch.
  6. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Top with the chopped roasted peanuts.
  7. Serve immediately for the best texture.

Notes

  • You can shred the green papaya using a mandoline slicer with a julienne blade or a box grater.
  • For a vegetarian or vegan version, omit the fish sauce and dried shrimp, substituting with soy sauce or vegan fish sauce.
  • This salad is best eaten right after mixing to maintain the crunch of the papaya.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cravybite.link/papaya-salad-authentic-thai-green-recipe/