Som Tam
Green papaya pounded with lime, chilli, palm sugar and fish sauce until it is crunchy, sour and slightly dangerous. Ten minutes of therapeutic bashing and dinner has a personality.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Serves
- 2
- Effort
- Easy
What you need
Written for 2 — nudge the counter and the numbers follow.
0 of 10 in the basket.
How you make it
Pound the garlic and chillies in a large mortar until broken down but not pureed, about 30 seconds.
Add the palm sugar and dried shrimp and pound to a rough paste, then stir in the lime juice and fish sauce until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the green beans and tomatoes and bruise them with a few gentle strikes, just enough to split them and release their juice.
Tip in the shredded papaya and pound lightly while turning the mixture with a spoon for about a minute, so the shreds soften and soak up the dressing without turning to mush.
Taste for the sour-salty-sweet-hot balance, adjust with lime or fish sauce, and serve topped with the peanuts.
Read all that and thought “absolutely not”?
Completely fair. Som Tam is sitting in the Thai kitchen right now, it costs nothing, and it will never arrive.
Order it insteadMore from the Thai kitchen
Sour, sweet, salty and hot arguing in the best way.