Som Tum or Spicy Green Papaya Salad is one of the most iconic dishes from Thailand. Sweet, tangy and extremely spicy, Som Tum is a culmination of juicy papaya strips married to the pungent aroma of dried shrimps with a dash of peanuts, all pound in a traditional mortar-pestle!
Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 25 mins Total time: 35-40 mins Servings: 2
Ingredients:
· 1 medium-sized raw papaya, peeled and washed
· 3 garlic pods
· Thai chilies (as many as you want!)
· 1 ½ tbsp. Palm sugar or grated jaggery
· 1 heaped tbsp. dried shrimp, whole or chopped
· 3 tbsp. peanuts, roasted
· ½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
· 2-3 long beans
· 1 ½ tbsp. fish sauce
· 1 whole lime
· 2 tsp. tamarind juice (optional)
· Mortar and pestle
Method:
1. Shred the papaya into thin strips using a grater or by simply knifing it. Plunge the strips into ice water for about 5-10 mins to retain the crunchiness. Drain the water completely.
2. Add the garlic pods and Thai chilies to the mortar and carefully pound them into a fine consistency.
3. Add the palm sugar and grind until it dissolves to form a paste-like mass.
4. Now, break the long beans into small pieces and add onto the paste. Grind until the pieces break, just enough to soak in the dressing but not totally mashed.
5. Add in the dried shrimps, fish sauce, tamarind juice and half of the peanuts. Grind until everything mixes well.
6. Cut the lime into four pieces and remove the core. Squeeze the juice directly into the mixture and throw in the lime peels too, for that extra zesty flavor. Stir and mix the ingredients thoroughly.
7. Now, add in the papaya and tomato pieces. Lightly pound the salad mixture. Stir the mixture and again pound gently a few times until the tomato juice mixes with the rest of it.
8. Give it one last stir to ensure uniform mixing. Garnish with the remaining roasted peanuts.
Yummy and mouth-watering Som Tum is ready to be served in all its fieriness to tantalize your taste buds!
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