Som Tam: Thai Papaya Salad
Thai cuisine is known for the perfect combination of sweet, sour, salty and spicy. And if there is one dish that embraces these flavors, it is som tam, or papaya salad.
Anyone who has ever walked through a night market in Thailand will instantly recognize the sound of enormous mortars in which this salad is traditionally prepared.
Don’t be alarmed if you don’t like fruit in your food. The green, unripe papaya used in this dish is crunchy and has a fresh flavor. A visit to the Asian grocery store will most likely be enough to find this fruit; I’ve also spotted it at the market.
The salad is very light and fresh, and you can make it as spicy as you like. The dressing is made with ingredients you might not immediately expect. In any case, we don’t often pulverize green beans or tomato for a salad. Som tam is perfect as a starter or side dish at a Thai feast, with, for example, penang curry as the main course and mango sticky rice as dessert. Add a couple of Chang beers and you’re all set.
Preparation
Pound the shrimp, chili, beans and garlic in a mortar. Add the tomato, palm sugar, fish sauce and lime, and mix together. Stir the grated papaya into the dressing and top everything with the roasted peanuts.
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