THAI GREEN PAPAYA SALAD ( SOM TUM )

The main ingredient in Thai Papaya Salad is fresh green papayas and that is the reason why this papaya salad is also referred to as the Green Papaya Salad. There are a few variations in the recipes for this popular Thai dish and mine, I added some 'Cincalok' ( Malaysia fermented shrimp ) and is so tasty. If you don't have the fermented shrimp, you can omit and use the dried shrimp ( hair- bee ) instead. Green Papaya Salad/Som Tum is traditionally made using a mortar and pestle (or kloke in Thai). If you don’t have a kloke, mince the Thai chili and garlic and combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.


My husband love to buy this dish at his favorite Thai restaurant all the time. So I took this opportunity to make one of my own for him to try. If you don't like too spicy, just add 1 to 2 thai chilies in the mixture.....we love spicy so that's why I added more. And the result....he loves it and he said taste better than he brought from the restaurant.

INGREDIENTS :

1 1/2 tbsp palm sugar/gula melaka
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp Cincalok / dried shrimp
5 Thai chili peppers
7 cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp roasted peanuts, finely chopped, unsalted



METHOD :

1. Cut papaya in half (lengthwise) and remove seeds. Peel the skin of the papaya and shred the flesh using a shredder or knife (the shreds should be thin and long). In a mortar and pestle, pound the chilies and garlic until they’re broken up.

2. Add the shredded papaya, tomato, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, roasted peanuts and cincalok/dried shrimp, pounding until everything is thoroughly mixed together. This dish should taste sweet, sour, and a little bit salty, so you may need to add more sugar, lime juice, or fish sauce to get the taste you like.

3. Som Tum is commonly served with roasted or grilled meats, fried fish, sticky rice, and fresh cabbage or lettuce.