Som Tam - Thai Green Papaya Salad

Som Tam - Thai Green Papaya Salad
Som tam is my all-time favourite salad, whether it's for lunch or dinner or even a snack! I will have a Thai green papaya salad at least 2 times minimum a week, without fail!
I remember growing up eating som tam every day when I was a child, I used to sit in the kitchen and learn how to make it from my mother, we would match the number of chillies with my age haha. But if I stuck to that rule today I would have burnt all my taste buds off by now, imagine using 50+ chillis!! I loved making som tam when my girls were little, they would hear the thumping of the pestle in the mortar and come running downstairs because they knew exactly what I was making! So many great family memories relate to this one Thai salad.
Thai green papaya salad is also a very healthy dish, so really let yourself go and indulge in great flavours without having to hold back! Serve it with some sticky rice with Moo Krob - Crispy deep-fried pork belly or Red Curried BBQ Chicken!
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Som Tam - Thai Green Papaya Salad
Ingredients
- 200 g Green Papaya you could use raw swede
- 70 g Long Green Beans
- 50 g Carrots
- 100 g Cherry Tomatoes
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves
- 2-3 Thai Red Chillis
- 20 g Small Dried Shrimp Take out for vegan option
- 15 g Roasted Peanuts
- 2 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce soya sauce for vegan option
- 1 tbsp Palm Sugar
Instructions
Preparation
- Coarsely grate the green papaya and carrots into long stripes either by hand or food processor
- Cut the green beans 2-3 inches long
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half
Cooking Method
- Add the chilli and garlic clove into a large mortar and start to crush them with your pestle for 30 seconds
- Once the chilli and garlic have been crushed, add in the green beans and crush them for 30 seconds
- Add the cherry tomatoes, palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice and mix it all together using a large spoon until you see that the palm sugar has dissolved
- Add the papaya and carrot, then pound for a further 30 seconds
- Lastly, add the dried shrimps and roasted peanuts and mix it all together. Serve with sticky rice!