Thai Papaya Salad or Som Tum
The papaya is traditionally pounded with a pestle and mortar, and this is where the term ‘pok pok’ comes from.
EQUIPMENT (click pictures for details)
Ingredients
- 1 pc fresh green papaya (1.2 -1.5 kg)
- 250 gr snake beans
- 250 gr carrots
- 24 pcs cherry or plum tomatoes
- 50 gr unsalted peanuts
- 2 tbsp dried shrimps (optional)
- 6-12 pcs Thai chili birds
- 4-5 pcs garlic cloves
- 80 ml tamarind juice
- 4-5 pcs limes
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp palm sugar or coconut sugar melted with 1 tbsp of water into a thick syrup
For the garnish
Instructions
- Roast the unsalted peanuts in the oven at 160°C. Cool them and crush them roughly.
Prepare the vegetables
- Wash and peel all vegetables
- Cut the green papaya and the carrots to julienne.
- Cut the snake beans to 4-5 cm sticks and halve the tomatoes.
- Chop the garlic cloves and the Thai red chili birds.
- Squeeze 3 limes and reserve the juice for the dressing, then cut another one into quarters for garnish.
Prepare the dressing
- Pound the garlic, chilies and quartered lime in a bowl.
- Add the lime juice, palm sugar, fish sauce and the tamarind juice. Stir well with your spoon and adjust to taste.
- Add the ⅓ of the julienned green papaya, the carrots and pound to bruise the vegetables into the dressing.
- Add the remaining green papaya, tomatoes, green beans, peanuts and mix well.
- Serve the salad in a bowl and garnish with the white cabbage, cucumber and fresh coriander leaves.
Notes
- Palm or coconut block sugar is the best for Asian recipes. Melt the sugar blocks with a small amount of water to make a thick syrup and store in the refrigerator.
- The palm sugar has a lower glycaemic index and is considered healthier than sugar cane.
- Tamarind is a remarkable ingredient, as sour as lemon and as sweet as dates. It is the fruit pod of a tree, native to Asia and northern Africa.
Nutrition for 1 portion
Calories: 84kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSodium: 564mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 5460IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg
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