Originating from the Northeast region of Isan, Som Tam is an iconic Thai recipe that is also found in Laos and Cambodia. It is a green papaya salad whose flavors are simultaneously sour, sweet, and spicy. Renowned for being intensely hot, this salad delivers a true explosion of flavors on the palate. Here is the recipe for the traditional Thai green papaya salad.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 1 medium green papaya

• 2 carrots

• 2 or 3 Thai red chilies or bird's eye chilies (adjust to taste)

• A few cherry tomatoes

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 lime

• 1 handful (or 5 tablespoons) of roasted unsalted peanuts

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam plaa)

• 1 tablespoon palm sugar

• A few cilantro leaves

Practical Information

Optional: you can add fresh or dried shrimp.

Equipment: the traditional method for cooking Som Tam requires using a mortar and pestle (called Sark in Thai). This method actually inspired the dish's name, since Som means "sour" and Tam means "to pound".

Prep time: 20-30 minutes

Good to know: there are many Som Tam variations: som-tam pou (with crab), som-tam plâ râ (with fermented fish)…

Som Tam Preparation Steps

1. Peel the papaya and cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds with a spoon and rinse it under clear water (to reduce the fruit's acidity).

2. Grate the papaya and carrots into very thin julienne. Set aside.

3. In a mortar, pound the peanuts and set them aside.

4. In the mortar (empty), pound the chilies and garlic until you reach a paste consistency. Add the papaya and carrot julienne to the mortar.

4. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice to the mortar mixture.

5. Pound all the ingredients together again.

6. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the salad. Also add the shrimp if desired. Mix everything together.

7. Fold in the peanuts to the mixture and combine.

8. Sprinkle the salad with a few cilantro leaves and it's ready to serve!

You can serve Som Tam with sticky rice to help soothe the heat of the chilies.

Enjoy!