Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)

A vibrant, boldly flavored Thai street-food classic — crisp shreds of unripe papaya pounded with fragrant garlic and chilies, then tossed in a tangy, sweet, and savory lime-fish sauce dressing. Fresh, fiery, and utterly addictive.

Ingredients

• 400 g green (unripe) papaya
• 8 pcs cherry tomatoes
• 6 pcs long beans (yard beans)
• 3 clove garlic cloves
• 3 pcs fresh Thai bird's eye chilies
• 30 g dry-roasted peanuts
• 15 g dried shrimp
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp palm sugar (or light brown sugar)
• 1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro)

Instructions

1. Peel the green papaya, halve it lengthwise, and scrape out all the seeds with a spoon. Using a sharp julienne peeler, mandoline, or box grater, shred the flesh into thin, long strips about 2–3 mm wide. You should end up with roughly 400 g of shredded papaya. Soak the shreds in cold water for 5 minutes to keep them crisp, then drain and pat dry with a clean towel.
2. In a large mortar (clay or wooden, the traditional Thai kind), add the garlic cloves and bird's eye chilies. Pound firmly with the pestle until they form a rough, fragrant paste — do not over-pulverize; you want visible texture. Add the palm sugar and dried shrimp (if using) and give it a few more light pounds to combine.
3. Add the long bean pieces to the mortar and pound gently just to bruise them — they should crack but not turn to mush. Add the cherry tomato halves and do the same: one or two firm taps to release the juices.
4. Pour in the fish sauce and fresh lime juice. Stir everything together with a spoon and taste: the dressing should be a balanced harmony of sour, salty, and sweet. Adjust with more lime juice for sourness, fish sauce for saltiness, or palm sugar for sweetness.
5. Add the drained shredded papaya to the mortar in two batches. Use a large spoon in one hand and the pestle in the other to toss and gently pound the salad together — this bruises the papaya just enough to help it absorb the dressing. Continue for about 1–2 minutes until all the papaya is well coated.
6. Transfer the som tum onto serving plates or a shallow bowl. Scatter the crushed dry-roasted peanuts over the top and finish with freshly torn coriander leaves. Serve immediately alongside sticky rice and grilled chicken (gai yang) for a classic Thai pairing.