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Authentic Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)

Close-up of vibrant papaya salad featuring shredded green papaya, cherry tomatoes, and green beans in a savory dressing.
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Make this authentic Thai Green Papaya Salad, Som Tum, for a crunchy, zesty, and refreshing dish bursting with spicy, sweet, sour, and salty Southeast Asian flavors. This recipe is naturally gluten-free and low carb.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups shredded unripe (green) papaya
  • 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup long beans (or green beans), cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1–2 Thai chilies (adjust to your spice preference)
  • 1 tablespoon dried shrimp (optional, for authentic flavor)
  • 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh
  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the dressing base: Place the garlic and Thai chilies into a mortar. Pound them lightly until they are bruised and fragrant.
  2. Add the dried shrimp (if using) and peanuts to the mortar. Pound briefly until the peanuts are coarsely crushed.
  3. Add the fish sauce, fresh lime juice, palm sugar, and tamarind paste (if using) to the mortar. Stir until the sugar dissolves to create the zesty salad dressing.
  4. Add the long beans and tomatoes to the mortar. Gently bruise them with the pestle a few times to release their juices without crushing them completely.
  5. Add the shredded green papaya to the mortar. Use the pestle to gently pound and toss the papaya with the dressing mixture. You want the papaya to soften slightly and absorb the flavor, but maintain its crunch.
  6. Taste the salad. Adjust seasoning if needed, adding more lime for sourness, fish sauce for saltiness, or sugar for sweetness.
  7. Transfer the papaya salad to a serving plate. Garnish with extra chopped peanuts before serving immediately.

Notes

  • You can use a large bowl and a wooden spoon or potato masher if you do not have a traditional mortar and pestle.
  • For a low-carb salad, omit the palm sugar or use a sugar substitute sparingly.
  • Serve this refreshing summer salad alongside grilled chicken or sticky rice for a complete meal.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://mdlatdmm.com/papaya-salad-authentic-som-tum-recipe/