Thai Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
ID: 650e7c97...
A classic, vibrant Thai salad featuring shredded swede (rutabaga) as an excellent and crunchy alternative to green papaya. It beautifully combines spicy, sour, sweet, and savory flavors with fresh herbs, bird's eye chilies, lime, and crushed peanuts.
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🍳 Cooking Flow
Crush roasted peanuts and dried shrimp separately using a mortar and pestle, then set aside. → Shred the swede (or green papaya), soak the shreds in cold water to make them crunchy, then drain thoroughly. → Melt palm sugar with a little water in a small pan to form a sweet syrup. → Gently bash garlic and bird's eye chilies in the mortar, then mix in the crushed shrimp, palm sugar syrup, lime juice, and fish sauce. → Add the drained swede, green beans, and halved cherry tomatoes to the mortar, bruise them lightly to blend the flavors, then plate and garnish with crushed peanuts.
Cooking Steps
Brief Cooking Order
Crush roasted peanuts and dried shrimp separately using a mortar and pestle, then set aside. → Shred the swede (or green papaya), soak the shreds in cold water to make them crunchy, then drain thoroughly. → Melt palm sugar with a little water in a small pan to form a sweet syrup. → Gently bash garlic and bird's eye chilies in the mortar, then mix in the crushed shrimp, palm sugar syrup, lime juice, and fish sauce. → Add the drained swede, green beans, and halved cherry tomatoes to the mortar, bruise them lightly to blend the flavors, then plate and garnish with crushed peanuts.
Introduction
A classic, vibrant Thai salad featuring shredded swede (rutabaga) as an excellent and crunchy alternative to green papaya. It beautifully combines spicy, sour, sweet, and savory flavors with fresh herbs, bird's eye chilies, lime, and crushed peanuts.
Step 1
Put the unsalted roasted peanuts in a mortar and pestle, bash them roughly to crush them, then transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
Step 2
Peel the swede (or green papaya) and shred it into thin strips using a shredder, mandoline, or knife. Soak the shredded strips in a bowl of cold water to maximize crunchiness and remove starch.
Step 3
Add the dried shrimp to the mortar and bash until they are crushed into small pieces, then transfer to a glass and set aside.
Step 4
Place 2 cloves of garlic and 2 fresh bird's eye chilies in the mortar. Give them a gentle bash so they break up but do not turn into a smooth paste.
Step 5
Add the crushed dried shrimp back into the mortar with the garlic and chilies, and mix them together.
Ingredients List
Important Notes
Swede (rutabaga) makes an excellent, highly accessible substitute for green papaya, providing a very similar crunchy texture.
Avoid over-bashing the garlic and chilies; they should remain in visible bits rather than a pureed state.
Melting the palm sugar in water beforehand helps it distribute evenly and quickly throughout the cold salad.
Do not over-bruise the tomatoes; they should release some juice but remain mostly intact.
Serve the salad fresh alongside sticky rice and minced meat dishes like larb for a complete Thai experience.
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