Let’s Make: Thai Papaya Salad aka Som Tum

How to Make Thai Papaya Salad

Have you ever gone out for Thai food and ordered Thai Papaya Salad aka Som Tum? It’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted before! Som Tum is a refreshing dish made from unripe, green shredded papaya mixed with shredded carrots and maybe green beans.  It’s a flavorful combination of salty, sweet, sour and spicy.  It’s just soooo good!  The first time I had it was as a teen when my mom took me to the Thai temple on the weekend and the vendors would set up their food stalls to sell food with all proceed donated to the Thai temple.  The flavor burst in my taste buds exclaimed a big.. “OOOOOH and then AWWWWW, followed by an OhhMyGAWWWWD, this is so good!”  The Som Tum vendor would make it with pickled blue crab with a side of sticky rice and my mom would come to the picnic table with all this and a side of dried Thai beef jerky.  Those were the days when I didn’t realize I should be savoring this food as a treat!  I could just kick myself as hind sight is always 20/20.

My mom used to own a Thai restaurant in our little town and I learned a lot from her.  My mom gave me a great Som Tum recipe that I will share with you here.

Let’s Make Thai Papaya Salad!

The most important ingredient you will need is the green papaya.  It looks like this: green skin and firm to the touch, not ripe. The flesh will be firm, sometimes with a slight crunch and will not really have a taste.   You DO NOT want the yellow skin and soft to the touch papaya, the flesh will be sweet and ripe and not what we want.  When you get it home, you want to keep it in the fridge and use it within a day or two.  If you wait too long, the papaya will sweeten and be too soft to use.  Peel the green skin with a peeler and use this gadget to make the shreds of the flesh (discard the green skin). This gadget is fantastic and makes the shredding process go by fast.  Keep shredding until you get to the seeds.  The closer you get to the seeds, the more moist the flesh will be.  Some folks like the more moist texture, personally, I don’t.  If you don’t want to waste, you can mix the moist texture flesh with the more drier texture flesh in your Som Tum salad. Just be sure if you have extra to store the moist and drier texture shreds separately in the fridge.  With a papaya this size, you will have 2 or 3 servings of papaya, so I usually keep the shreds in a ziploc baggie to make Som Tum again within the next two weeks.  I usually get 3 servings with that size papaya.

Thai Papaya Salad: Fresh Ingredients

So these are the ingredients you will need that you can find at your local supermarket.  I found the green papaya at my local big grocery food chain so keep your eye out for it.  You could use any variety of tomato, I prefer cherry tomatoes, but I used Roma tomatoes because that’s what I had in the fridge.  Be sure to slice your green beans (I like to slice them on a bias).  I used this fancy gadget to shred the carrots as well, makes the prep process really quick!

Som Tum: Thai Sauces and Pastes

Here is where it will get tricky.  The sauces and pastes needed. I have a great hole in the wall Asian market near me that is so tiny yet filled to the brim with every kind of Asian food product you are looking for.  I’ve been there so many times that I have familiarized myself with every corner of the store and know exactly where to go to find what I need.  If you are inclined to go to your local Asian market, you will save a ton of money versus ordering online. If you must order online- because convenience is king!-, I’ve supplied the links for you.  Keep in mind that I am an affiliate member and will receive a small kickback if you purchase directly through my links.. and boy, I’d appreciate the click through purchase.

A word about fish sauce… I know, I know, the thought is just kinda unappetizing.  I’ve grown up with it, so it doesn’t bother me at all, but for others, the smell of it doesn’t sit well.  I plan to be sharing a ton of Thai food recipes on my blog, handed down to me from my mom, that you can make at home and almost all the recipes call for Thai fish sauce.  It is a staple in Thai cooking and a must have in your pantry.  It is the “salt” in Thai cooking.  I am particular about the brand and always, always prefer Squid brand. With that being said, you can online order it HERE.

Fermented fish sauce is optional in this recipe.  If you can find it, it lends a deep umami tone to your Thai Papaya Salad and you won’t want it any other way after having it. I use Pantai brand, but this online brand is a suitable sub.  HERE.

Tamarind concentrate lends a mild sweet sour taste to the palate.  You can find it HERE.

Crab paste: HERE

Shrimp paste: HERE

The crab and shrimp paste is part of the dressing that lends some deep ocean salty tones to the papaya salad.  Should you omit it? I don’t think you should, it really adds to the flavor depth of the dish.  At least use one or the other if you can’t find both.

Traditionally, Som Tum is made in a mortar and pestle.  My mom gifted me one from a Thai market that I use in my how to video.  I realize you probably don’t have one of these as part of your cooking repertoire! If you do, great! If you don’t, you can still make Som Tum.  Throw everything in a gallon ziploc baggie and smash it with a rolling pin!

VIDEO: How to Make Thai Papaya Salad: CLICK HERE

Thai Papaya Salad|Som Tum: Ingredients List

Thai Papaya Salad aka Som Tum

Jennifer Brotchie

One of Thailand's most famous dishes, Som Tum (Thai Papaya Salad), packed full of flavor and easy on the waistline. Gather up all the ingredients and this dish is sure to pleasure your taste buds each time. Make it at home easily whenever you crave with these pastry stable ingredients.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Thai

Ingredients

  

• 4 c shredded green, unripe papaya
• 1/2 c sliced on the bias green beans add more to your liking
• 1/2 c shredded carrot add more to your liking
• 1/2 tsp Thai crab paste
• 1/4 tsp Thai shrimp paste
• 1 clove garlic if you love garlic, feel free to add more
• 1 Thai chili pepper if you love spicy, feel free to add more
• 1 T palm sugar substitute: brown sugar
• 1 c sliced tomato cherry tomatoes are great
• 1 T sugar
• 1 juice of lime
• 1 1/2 T Thai tamarind concentrate can omit, but try not to omit
• 1/3 c Thai fish sauce I would add 1/2 of 1/3 cup first, taste and add more as needed
• 1 T Thai unfiltered fish sauce can omit, but try not to omit

Instructions

 

• Please watch video for how to. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can throw everything in a ziploc baggie and bang and smash with a rolling pin.
• Thai food is not an exact measurement. Thai food is taught based on observing and using your own taste buds to adjust. After tasting, if too salty, add a little more sugar. If too sweet, add more lime. If too sour, add a little more fish sauce or sugar.. and you can always add more papaya, green beans and carrots.

Keyword Asian Recipes, Asian Salad, Som Tum, Thai Food at Home, Thai Food Recipes, Thai Papaya Salad

Jennifer Brotchie is a professional photographer living in SoCal with her husband and 3 kids.  She specializes in family photography, maternity photography and studio portraits for the busy modern family.  Having lived in Hawaii for nine years has given Jennifer the professional experience in working with many diverse families and their family dynamics in all lighting conditions from morning to sunset natural light in addition to studio lights, both with digital and analog film cameras. She loves to spoil her family with Thai recipes handed down from her mom as well as experiment with new recipes.  Jennifer has had a love for plants for a few years now and has a small collection of Hoya’s.   Thank you so much for visiting and hope that you visit more in the future.