Som Tam Recipe (Thai Green Papaya Salad) from Chef David Thompson
Ingredients
- 50 grams garlic cloves (small mixed peeled and unpeeled)
- 90 grams cherry tomatoes (small heirloom, halved)
- 40 grams dried prawns (soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, then drained)
- 80 grams snake beans (cut into 4cm lengths)
- 8 chillies (small Thai scud chillies, or to taste (see note))
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts (heaped tbsp)
- 1 thin slice lime
- 360 grams green papaya (about 2 small, peeled and shredded)
- 80 grams palm sugar (light palm sugar, or to taste, crushed)
- 100 milliliters lime juice (from about 5 juicy limes, or to taste)
- 100 milliliters tamarind water (see note, or to taste)
- 60 milliliters fish sauce (or to taste (¼ cup))
- 1 pinch roasted chilli powder (see note)
Instructions
Use a mortar and pestle or a bowl to crush the garlic, tomatoes, and a pinch of salt flakes.
Crush the prawns first, then add the beans, lime, chilies, peanuts, and nuts and pound
Add Papaya and bruise, but do not overwork it
Season to taste with palm sugar, lime juice, tamarind water, fish sauce, and chilli powder (it should be sweet, sour, hot, and salty). Serving
Note
Thai grocery stores sell scud chilies and roasted chilli powder. To prepare tamarind water, combine 100g of seedless tamarind pulp with 100ml of boiling water in a basin, cover, and let stand until soft (20–30 minutes). Then, strain the mixture through a fine sieve (discard solids)
Som Tam Recipe Som Tum Thai Green Papaya Salad