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GREEN PAPAYA SALAD (Som Tum)

Thai Cooking
by Alima Ravadi Quinn

A popular salad from the Eastern Region of Thailand. We have been asked frequently if we had it on the menu. Green papaya is not easy to find in small towns all year-round. If you can find it in the Asian market where you live, it will be well worth the time spent finding it and preparing Som Tum for yourself!
4 servings
 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small green papaya (make sure that it is hard when you squeeze it), shredded into 3-inch long strips
• 4 cloves fresh garlic
• 3 tablespoons dried shrimp (available in Asian market)
• 2 fresh hot chili pepper (add more if you like it hotter)
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground peanuts
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
 

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large mortar, grind garlic, dried shrimp, hot chili pepper, and green beans with a pestle. Mix well with a large spoon.

2. Add the green papaya and cherry tomatoes. Grind with pestle and mix with a long spoon until the mixture is well-blended.

3. Mix in the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and peanuts. Mix well with the papaya.

4. Remove to a serving platter. Serve with sticky rice.