Som Tam Thai Salad Recipe

Peel and shred vegetables

Peel the green papaya and carrot. Using a julienne peeler, mandoline set to match, or a sharp knife, shred the papaya into long thin strips about matchstick thickness (about 4–5 mm wide). Shred the carrot similarly and combine with the papaya in a large mixing bowl. If papaya seeds remain, remove them. Pat the shredded papaya lightly with paper towel if it feels very wet.

Trim beans and tomatoes

Trim the ends off the long beans and cut into 1 1/2–2 inch (4–5 cm) lengths. Halve the cherry tomatoes.

Prepare mortar & pestle (or substitute)

Use a large mortar and pestle for the most authentic texture. If you don't have one, use a sturdy bowl and the back of a spoon or a small mortar. Everything will be combined in this vessel.

Crush aromatics and chilies

Place the garlic (2 cloves) and Thai bird's eye chilies (3) into the mortar. Lightly pound until crushed but not pulverized — you want small pieces to release their aroma. If you prefer less heat, remove the seeds from one or two chilies before pounding.

Add palm sugar and seasonings

Add the palm sugar (2 tbs) and continue to pound lightly until it softens and starts to dissolve into the chili/garlic paste. Add the dried shrimp (2 tbs) and gently bruise them into the mixture to release umami. Add the tamarind concentrate (1 tsp) if using and mix briefly.

Finish the dressing

Add the lime juice (3 tbs) and fish sauce (2 tbs) to the mortar. Stir/pound lightly just to combine and dissolve the sugar — taste and adjust balance: it should be bright, salty, sweet, with pronounced lime and shrimp notes. If too salty, add a little more palm sugar or lime; if too sour, add more sugar; if too weak, add a splash more fish sauce.

Combine salad components

Add the halved cherry tomatoes and the cut long beans to the mortar. Use the pestle to lightly bruise the beans and tomatoes — 3–4 gentle presses — to release juices and slightly wilt them but not mash them into mush. This step mingles flavors and slightly softens the vegetables.

Toss with shredded papaya & carrot

Transfer the shredded papaya and carrot into the mortar (or return the dressing mixture into the large bowl with the papaya if your mortar is small). Use two large spoons or the pestle and spoon to toss everything together thoroughly so the dressing coats the papaya, carrot, beans and tomatoes evenly. Taste and adjust seasoning: add a little extra fish sauce for saltiness or a touch more palm sugar or lime as needed.

Prepare peanuts and shallot

If your peanuts are whole, roughly chop or crush the roasted peanuts (3 tbs). Thinly slice the shallot (1) into rings or thin half-moons and if desired rinse briefly in cold water to reduce bite, then drain well.

Finish salad

Fold in about half of the chopped peanuts and half of the chopped dried shrimp into the salad so they distribute through the papaya. Transfer the salad to a serving plate, sprinkle the remaining peanuts and dried shrimp on top, scatter the thinly sliced shallot and cilantro leaves and basil (if using) over the salad.

Serve

Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side and extra fish sauce available to taste. Som Tam is best eaten fresh when the papaya is crisp.