Thai Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
A classic Thai papaya salad made by pounding green papaya with lime, fish sauce, palm sugar, and chilies for a crisp, balanced street-food staple.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded green papaya packed
- 1 –2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 –3 Thai chilies to taste
- 1½ tablespoons fish sauce plus more to taste
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice plus more to taste
- 1½ teaspoons palm sugar grated (or light brown sugar)
- ¼ cup long beans cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts lightly crushed
Instructions
Instructions
- In a mortar, pound garlic and chilies until lightly crushed and aromatic.
- Add palm sugar and pound gently to dissolve.
- Add fish sauce and lime juice; stir to combine and taste for balance.
- Add long beans and lightly bruise them with the pestle.
- Add tomatoes and press gently to release some juice without breaking them down completely.
- Add shredded green papaya and toss, pounding lightly just to coat and soften slightly.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with more lime, fish sauce, sugar, or chili as needed.
- Finish with crushed peanuts and toss once more. Serve immediately.
Notes
Chef Notes
Pound gently — the goal is to bruise, not crush.
Always adjust seasoning after adding papaya; it absorbs flavor quickly.
If the salad tastes too salty, add more papaya — not more lime.
Palm sugar should soften acidity, not make the salad sweet.
