Recipe

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)

By: 

Co+op

Recipe Information

Total Time: 

15 minutes

Servings: 

4

The only challenge in making this salad is finding a hard, green papaya. Truly green papaya is pale and has no sweetness but rapidly becomes soft and sweet if allowed to ripen. Add some dried shrimp for more traditional flavor or leave out the fish sauce for a vegan version. 

Ingredients

  • 1 medium, hard green papaya
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 large jalapeño peppers, stems removed
  • 1/2 cup French beans or green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce or tamari soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Preparation

  1. Peel, seed and shred the papaya. Place the garlic and peppers in a mortar and crush into small chunks or pulse in a food processor. Add the beans and pound or pulse to break up but not puree. Scrape into in a large bowl and add the tomatoes and papaya.
  2. In a cup, stir together the tamari, salt, lime juice and brown sugar and pour over the salad. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Top with peanuts.

Serving Suggestion

Serve with your favorite Lao or Thai-inspired dishes.

Nutritional Information

200 calories, 10 g. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 710 mg. sodium, 26 g. carbohydrate, 5 g. fiber, 7 g. protein

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