Originated from Laos and settled first in the Isan region of northeastern Thailand, som tum is also known as Tam mak hoong in Thailand's neighboring country, Laos. It is a spicy salad made from shredded unripened papaya. Thus the English name - Papaya salad, as to how most of us called it. Usually som tum is served with sticky rice(khao niaw) and barbecued chicken(gai yang). It goes with rice noodles and raw vegetables too! More often, it is simply a snack by itself. The spiciness depends on a person's tastebuds. If you are like me, you can opt. for a non-spicy papaya salad or to be like most of the Thais, throw in 10-20 bird-eye chilies to get the kick out of it! To go the Thai way, be prepared for a burning tongue! :)
My Ingredients:
My Ingredients:
- Dark green papaya
- garlic cloves
- bird-eye chilies
- long beans
- palm sugar
- fish sauce
- salt
- cherry tomatoes
- peanuts
- Peel papaya skin. Two ways to get long strips: smack it lengthwise with knife or use cheese grater.
- Use ceramic mortar and pestle to pound and mash garlic cloves and chilies. Add long beans and pound some more.
- Add fish sauce, palm sugar and salt to taste. Pound and mix well.
- Throw in half-cut tomatoes and pound gently.
- Add lime juice to taste and pour in the papaya strips. Pound for a while at the same time use spoon to mix the juices evenly. Be careful while pounding as you don't want to dissolve everything.
- Lastly, pour in peanuts to garnish. Pound lightly before serving.
