Som Tum
Som Tum is a bright, crunchy green papaya salad with a punchy dressing of lime, fish sauce, palm sugar, garlic, and chili. Juicy tomatoes, crisp beans, savory dried shrimp, and roasted peanuts create a refreshing dish that is bold, balanced, and deeply addictive.
Ingredients
Salad
- 300 ggreen papaya, peeled and shredded
- 60 glong beans, cut into 3 cm pieces
- 120 gcherry tomatoes, halved
- 30 groasted peanuts
- 20 gdried shrimp
Dressing
- 2garlic cloves, peeled
- 2bird's eye chilies
- 25 gpalm sugar
- 2 tbspfish sauce
- 3 tbsplime juice, freshly squeezed
Instructions
- 1
Prepare all ingredients first: peel and shred the green papaya, cut the long beans into short lengths, halve the cherry tomatoes, peel the garlic, squeeze the lime juice, and measure the remaining dressing ingredients. This mise en place matters because Som Tum is assembled very quickly once pounding begins.
- 2
In a mortar, pound the garlic and bird's eye chilies to a rough paste. Add the palm sugar and pound just until it starts dissolving. The goal is not a smooth puree but a coarse, aromatic base.
- 3
Add the dried shrimp and lightly bruise them with the pestle, then add the long beans and pound 3-4 times to crack them slightly. This helps the beans absorb the dressing while keeping them crisp.
- 4
Add the fish sauce and lime juice, then stir with a spoon to dissolve the sugar fully. Taste the dressing; it should balance salty, sour, sweet, and hot.
- 5
Add the cherry tomatoes and gently pound a few times to release some juice without crushing them completely. Add the shredded green papaya and toss, using the spoon in one hand and pestle in the other, until the papaya softens slightly and is evenly coated.
- 6
Add most of the roasted peanuts and toss once more. Transfer to plates, scatter the remaining peanuts on top, and serve immediately for the best crunch and freshness.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •If you do not have a mortar and pestle, mix the dressing in a bowl and lightly crush the long beans and tomatoes with the back of a spoon; the flavor will still be good, though less traditional.
- •For a classic Thai street-style balance, adjust at the end with a little more lime juice for brightness, fish sauce for saltiness, or palm sugar for roundness.
- •Serve with sticky rice or grilled chicken for a more substantial meal.
- •Use firm, unripe green papaya; ripe papaya is too soft and sweet for this salad.
Background
Som Tum originates from Laos and northeastern Thailand, especially the Isan region, and has become one of Thailand's most iconic salads. Its defining character comes from the mortar-pounded dressing and the lively balance of sour, salty, sweet, and spicy flavors. Many regional variations exist, but the version with dried shrimp, peanuts, tomato, and fish sauce is a widely loved classic.
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