SPICY GREEN PAPAYA SALAD (Som Tum)

Having not tried green papaya I did not know quite what to expect with this exotic sounding salad. It is beyond fabulous with the green papaya having a very subtle flavor and being wonderfully crunchy. The ingredients are all so fresh and combine to remind me of traditional flavors in dishes I’ve enjoyed in Thailand. The dressing is a mix of salty, sweet with heat, all perfectly balanced. Great in any season.

Course Salad

Cuisine Thailand

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 84kcal

Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

1 cup Napa cabbage sliced horizontally (across) into thin ribbons
1 cup carrots grated with medium sized grater
2 cups green papaya grated or cut into long, thin matchsticks (or using Kiwi Pro Slicer)
9 green beans cut into thin matchstick-sized strips and then into 2 inch lengths
6 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters lengthwise
¼ cup cilantro chopped
¼ cup peanuts dry roasted and crushed
2-3 large garlic cloves minced or pressed
4-5 fresh Thai chiles top removed*
3 tablespoons fish sauce soy sauce or tamari (if gluten free)
1 tablespoon sugar
Juice of 1 small lime freshly squeezed

Instructions

Combine cabbage, carrots, green papaya and green beans in a bowl and toss.
Add garlic to mortar (hard cup like receptacle used to mash or grind by hand with a pestle, the rounded stick), mash into a paste with pestle.
Add the de-stemmed whole chilies to the mortar. Mash them until the outside of chile is paper thin and the contents of the chiles have been released from the skin. Remove the chile skins*, scraping off any pulp or seeds into the mortar.
Add fish sauce/soy sauce/tamari, sugar and lime juice to the mortar. Stir to dissolve sugar and fully combine dressing.
Pour dressing over the greens and toss to combine. When serving place tomatoes, some cilantro and peanuts on the top of the salad.

Notes

*Always be careful when handling chiles; use gloves preferably. The chile oil can be quite strong and cause considerable irritation if accidentally touching the eyes or any mucus membranes after slicing them.

Nutrition