Som Tam Thai (Thai Green Papaya Salad)

Quick answer

Total time: 18 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Som tam Thai combines finely shredded green papaya, long beans, and cherry tomatoes with a dressing of Thai chili, palm sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce, using a mortar to bruise the ingredients lightly rather than crush them into a paste.

Peel and finely shred 250g green papaya, soak it in cold water for 10 minutes, and drain it thoroughly so the measured dressing does not become diluted. Cut 70g long beans into 3cm pieces and halve 120g cherry tomatoes. Remove the seeds from the 2 Thai chilies when a milder result is preferred. Put the chilies and 1 tablespoon palm sugar in a mortar first and pound with a pressing motion until the sugar softens and becomes moist. Add 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce, stirring until the palm sugar dissolves fully into the liquid. Add the long beans and tomatoes and pound gently for about 30 seconds. Stop when the tomatoes have released some juice but still hold their shape. Add the drained papaya and toss from bottom to top while pounding very lightly for about 1 minute, coating the strands without crushing them. Mix in 25g roasted peanuts at the end and serve immediately while the papaya remains crisp. If a mortar is unavailable, use a large bowl and a rolling pin with the same restrained pressing motion.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

green papaya250 gg

cherry tomato120 gg

long beans70 gg

lime juice2 tbsptbsp

fish sauce1½ tbsptbsp

palm sugar1 tbsptbsp

roasted peanuts25 gg

Thai chili2 eaea

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Peel 250 g green papaya and cut it into fine shreds.

Soak the shreds in cold water for about 10 minutes to firm them up, then drain very well so the dressing will not become diluted.
2

Season

Cut 70 g long beans into 3 cm pieces and halve 120 g cherry tomatoes.

For a milder salad, split the 2 Thai chilies and remove the seeds before pounding them.
3

Season

Put the chilies and 1 tbsp palm sugar in a mortar first.

Pound and press until the sugar starts to soften and turn moist, and the chili aroma is released without making a paste.
4

Season

Add 2 tbsp lime juice and 1.5 tbsp fish sauce, then stir until the palm sugar dissolves into the liquid.

Taste the dressing and check that salty, sour, sweet, and spicy notes feel balanced.
5

Step

Add the long beans and tomatoes to the mortar and pound lightly for about 30 seconds.

The tomatoes should release some juice into the dressing, but they should not collapse completely.
6

Finish

Add the drained papaya and toss from bottom to top while pounding very gently for about 1 minute.

Mix in 25 g roasted peanuts at the end and serve while the papaya is still crisp.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: 250g green papaya soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained thoroughly
Finish cue: Add the drained papaya and toss from bottom to top while pounding very gently for about 1 minute.
Avoid this: If you do not have a mortar, gently bruise ingredients in a bowl with a rolling pin.
Substitution: If a mortar is unavailable, use a large bowl and a rolling pin with the same restrained pressing motion.