Recipes From Thailand – Papaya Salad

Papaya Salad (Som Tam Thai)
(2 Servings)

Ingredients
100g green papaya
2 cloves of garlic — peel skin off
1-5 fresh small green chilies
2 long beans — cut into 1 inch long
1 tomatoes — cut in half and sliced into 6—8 pieces
2 tablespoons peanuts — roasted
1 lime — cut into 3 wedges

Seasoning
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce
1-2 teaspoons palm sugar

Method

• Peel the papaya and rinse with running water to remove the acid. Shred the papaya into thin strips with a grater. Set aside.
• Put the garlic, chilies and into a clay or wooden mortar and pound roughly, just enough to release the hotness but if you like your salad really hot pound more until they are smoothed.
• Add long bean pound a few times just to bruise them.
• Add fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice and mix the ingredients until the palm sugar has melted.
• Then add green papaya, tomato and gently combine all ingredient together by using the pestle and spoon.
• Use the spoon to spoon the mixture up and use pestle push them down in a mortar until the mixture is mixed well
• Serve cold with fresh vegetable and sprinkle peanuts on top.

Notes

• Green mango, cucumber, carrot, apple or pear can be substituted.
• When you shred the papaya closer to the center, you will see the white immature seeds inside. Stop and move onto another part of the papaya. Discard any seeds that got into your bowl.
• Can be serve with sticky rice or noodles and roasted chicken, any B.B.Q, deep fried fish or cooked seafood.
• The rest of papaya can keep well in the freeze for a week, just soak in cold water for a few minutes before use.