Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad)

Don't Make These Mistakes

A deep clay mortar is traditional and does the job far better than a heavy stone one, which crushes.

No green papaya? Shredded carrot, kohlrabi or unripe mango all work on the same principle.

Make it to order. Som tam loses its crunch within 30 minutes of dressing.

How to Make Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad)

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1. Soak the shredded papaya in iced water for 15 minutes, then drain and dry thoroughly. This makes it noticeably crunchier.

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2. Pound the garlic and chillies in a large clay or wooden mortar into a coarse paste.

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3. Add the palm sugar and dried shrimp and pound until the sugar dissolves into the paste.

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4. Add the long beans and bruise them lightly with a few strikes, then the tomatoes, pressing just enough to release their juices.

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5. Add the fish sauce, lime juice and tamarind and stir with the pestle to combine.

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6. Add the papaya in two batches. Pound gently while turning the mixture with a spoon — about 20 light strikes per batch. You are bruising, not crushing.

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7. Taste and adjust: it should hit sour, salty, sweet and hot in that order.

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8. Fold in most of the peanuts and serve immediately, scattered with the rest and the basil if using.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Why the Method Works

Pounding lightly in a mortar bruises the papaya shreds so their cells rupture just enough to absorb the dressing, without collapsing into mush the way tossing in a bowl would fail to achieve. Green papaya itself is unripe and starchy rather than sweet, which is why it stays crunchy under acid.

After You've Cooked It

Eat immediately. Shredded papaya keeps 2 days in water in the fridge; the dressing keeps 1 week.

Swaps and Variations

• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Good With

• A cold lager, or sticky rice to cool the heat
• Serve with grilled chicken and sticky rice
• Finish with fresh fruit

Questions and Answers

Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad) Nutrition Facts

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

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