Thailand · Salads · Spicy
Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad)
Thailand's most iconic salad — shredded green papaya pounded in a mortar with tomatoes, green beans, garlic, chili, lime juice, and fish sauce. Crunchy, spicy, tangy, and refreshing all at once. Served cold with sticky rice and grilled chicken.
20 min 140 kcal 2 serves Medium🌶️Spicy🇹🇭Thailand★★★★★4.5· 6 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 200 ggreen papaya, peeled and shredded
- 1 carrot
- 6 cherry tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tspred chili
- 2 tbsplime juice
- 2 tbspfish sauce
- 1 tbsppalm sugar
- 2 tbsproasted peanuts
- 50 ggreen beans
- 1 tbspdried shrimp
Method
- Peel the papaya and carrot, grate into long thin shreds. Halve the cherry tomatoes, cut green beans into 2-3 cm pieces.
- In a mortar, pound the garlic and chili. Add sugar and lime juice and mix until sugar dissolves.
- Add papaya, carrot, green beans, and tomatoes to the mortar. Lightly pound with a spoon or pestle — the vegetables should soften slightly and absorb the dressing but keep their crunch. Add dried shrimp if using.
- Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with roasted peanuts, garnish with a lime wedge and fresh chili. Serve cold.
FAQ
Green papaya is available in Asian grocery stores. If unavailable, substitute with green radish or firm cucumber grated into long thin shreds — the texture is very similar.
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Comments (1)
I make the dressing for som tam first and let it sit while I prep everything else. The green papaya and seasonings need at least 10 minutes to meld. Last-second dressing always tastes a bit harsh and disjointed.