Thai Green Papaya Salad
Thai Green Papaya Salad, or Som Tum, is a vibrant and refreshing dish known for its bold flavors and exciting textures. This recipe walks you through creating an authentic Som Tum that’s simple yet utterly satisfying.
About This Recipe
Thai Green Papaya Salad, or Som Tum, is a vibrant dish that perfectly balances sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors in every bite. The star ingredient, young green papaya, adds a refreshing crunch that sets this salad apart. By soaking the papaya in ice water, we ensure an irresistibly crisp texture that elevates the dish to the next level.
Dried Shrimps
This recipe also features dried shrimp, which adds a unique umami depth, and palm sugar syrup, with its rich caramel and butterscotch notes, bringing sweetness to balance the bold flavors. Fresh lime juice and fish sauce complete the dressing, delivering a harmonious burst of flavor that’s unmistakably Thai.
Pestle & Mortar
What makes this recipe unique is the technique of lightly pounding the ingredients in a tall Thai-style pestle and mortar. This step blends the flavors beautifully while maintaining the texture of each ingredient—long beans stay crisp, tomatoes release their juice into the dressing, and peanuts add just the right amount of crunch. I don’t have a Thai pestle and mortar, I just have a short one made out of lava stone.
Palm Sugar Syrup
I’m lucky to be able to buy it straight out of a squeeze bottle here in Indonesia, but below I have a recipe in case yo can’t get the ready-made syrup
Whether enjoyed on its own or paired with sticky rice or crispy soft-shell crab, this recipe is an authentic taste of Thailand, perfect for leveling up your cooking game!
Thai Green Papaya Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Salad
1½ cups young green papaya (about 150g), julienned
(Tip: Soak in ice water for 15 minutes for maximum crunch.)2 long beans (snake beans), cut into 5 cm pieces
½ cup cherry tomatoes (100g), halved
3 tbsp roasted peanuts (35g)
For the Dressing
3 cloves garlic (20g)
2 chilies (8g), adjust to your spice tolerance
1 tbsp dried shrimp (Ebi) (6g)
(Think of it as shrimp jerky for an umami boost.)2½ tbsp palm sugar syrup (50g) (recipe below)
1 tbsp fish sauce (20g)
Juice of 3 limes
Palm Sugar Syrup Recipe
Combine 300g palm sugar and 100ml water in a saucepan.
Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves into a rich syrup.
Store in a bottle for use in this and other dishes.
(Palm sugar has a natural caramel and butterscotch flavor that makes this dish truly unique.)
Equipment
Julienne peeler (Asian style) or a sharp knife
Tall Thai-style pestle and mortar (or a regular one)
Spoon
(No julienne peeler? Use a sharp knife to slice the papaya thinly, then stack and cut into fine matchsticks.) See my technique in the video
Instructions
1. Prepare the Aromatics
Add garlic and chilies to the pestle and mortar. Pound until smooth.
Add dried shrimp and pound lightly to mix.
2. Build the Salad Base
Add the long beans and peanuts to the mortar. Gently pound to bruise them, creating holes to soak up the dressing.
(Tip: Don’t overdo it—you want texture, not powdered peanuts.)Add cherry tomatoes and lightly pound until they release some of their juice, blending beautifully into the dressing.
3. Make the Dressing
Add palm sugar syrup, fish sauce, and lime juice to the mortar.
Mix everything until you get a thick, flavorful paste.
4. Assemble the Salad
Add the julienned papaya to the mortar. Toss and lightly pound to coat the papaya in the dressing.
(Tip: Be gentle—just enough to let the flavors meld while keeping the papaya crisp.)Taste and adjust as needed: more fish sauce for saltiness, lime juice for tang, or palm sugar syrup for sweetness.
5. Plate and Garnish
Transfer to a serving plate.
Sprinkle with the remaining roasted peanuts for extra crunch.
Serving Suggestions
This salad is delicious on its own, but for a complete Thai experience, serve it with sticky rice (recipe on the blog) or pair it with crispy soft-shell crab for an indulgent twist.
