Thai Papaya Salad (Som Tum) with a Twist
Welcome back to episode 3 of Blow Outz, a series of recipes to knock a few things loose! Today we’re making one of my favorite salads, Som Tum. It’s sour, sweet, and spicy. I’m adding a ripe papaya, along with roasted papaya seeds to really up the flavor (and blasting power 💩). See how it’s made here.
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 ripe papaya (it should be mostly orange/yellow and will give a little when you press on it) cut in half longways, save the seeds!
1 green papaya
2 garlic cloves
1 thai chile or 2 dried red peppers
2 tbsp. palm sugar, finely chopped
3-4 long beans, cut into 1” pieces (or 5-6 string beans)
1 tbsp. small dried shrimp
3 tbsp. toasted peanuts (I used cashews)
2 tsp. tamarind paste
2 tbsp. fish sauce
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Special Tools
Mortar and pestle
Julienne peeler
Make it!
Pre-heat the oven to 375F° and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Slice your ripe papaya in half longways and scoop the seeds into a fine mesh sieve. Squeeze some lime juice on the exposed flesh of the papaya to prevent browning.
Rinse the papaya seeds and then place them on a kitchen towel. Use your fingers to roll them around. This will help to dry them and rub off the excess fibers. Place on the sheet pan and roast for 15 minutes, or until they look dried out, like peppercorns! Remove and cool.
Make your Som Tum! In your mortar, add the garlic and chiles and pestle into a paste. Then add the palm sugar and pestle until it forms a paste again. Next, the long beans, just to break up slightly. Followed by the dried shrimp and toasted peanuts. Lastly, add the tamarind paste, fish sauce, and lime juice, plus the lime wedge. Pestle one last time and transfer to a large bowl.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the thick, green skin off of your green papaya. Then julienne 2 cups of the papaya for the salad (I used a julienne peeler). Add the papaya and tomatoes into the same bowl with the sauce and mix with your hands.
Assemble! Place your cut, ripe papaya on the plate and pile the Som Tum on top. Drizzle with extra sauce and top with roasted papaya seeds. Enjoy!!
