Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 1large or 2 small cloves garlic, peeled
- ¼teaspoon salt
- 1tablespoon dry-roasted salted peanuts, more for garnish
- 2fresh bird chilies or serrano chilies, sliced
- ½teaspoon raw sugar or white sugar
- 1tablespoon dried shrimp (optional)
- 2tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 to 2tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla), to taste
- 2plum tomatoes, 1 large round tomato, or 8 grape tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- ½pound long beans, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch lengths (optional)
- 1small to medium green (unripe) papaya (see Note)
- Lettuce for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
177 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 385 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
In a blender or mortar, blend or pound garlic, salt, peanuts, chilies, sugar and shrimp (if using) into a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in lime juice and fish sauce. Use a spoon (or the mortar) to lightly crush tomatoes and beans (if using), then add to bowl and mix lightly.
- Step 2
Peel and coarsely grate or shred papaya, discarding seeds and inner membrane. There should be 4 to 6 cups.
- Step 3
Add papaya to bowl and lightly but thoroughly toss together. Taste for seasoning. Mound in a bowl (if desired, line bowl with lettuce leaves beforehand). Sprinkle with peanuts and serve.
Tip
- If green papaya is unavailable, use an equivalent amount of coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots).
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Karen
This is also a suitable fate for that canteloupe you opened that was hard as a rock.
Michael
I have made this many times using a hard very green mango and it was great.
Adrienne
Kohlrabi can also be subbed for the papaya
Ashley
I used the stalks of broccoli, julienned and it turned out perfectly.
Pat
Dear Julia, We had the opportunity to try this dish while in Laos where it is originated. Over there, it is called Tum Mak Hoong (pounding papaya), the original name for Som Tum for people of Lao ethnicity in both Laos and Northeastern Thailand (Isan). Som Tum is usually very spicy and eaten with sticky rice and grilled chicken as daily food staple. They used fermented fish paste and sometimes added fermented crab in it. We are addicted to it. Thanks for showing.
Daniel
The picture looks like it has carrots. Is it recommended to add carrots?
Elvis
By FAR the best Green papaya Salad recipe I have tried. Just the right amount of heat. Go for the dried shrimp, it ups the umami factor. You will be left with the most wonderful taste long after soaking up the last of the sauce. Also goes well with duck.
Jim
This recipe severely lacks flavor. It should have a lot more garlic, chiles, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. See this recipe by an actual Thai person, who uses approximately the same quantities as this recipe for only 1.5 cups of papaya: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/papaya-salad-v3/
Christa
Flavors work great even if you only have cabbage, carrots, peanut butter, hot sauce, agave (ingredients I had on hand) along with the lime, fish sauce. Also added finely chopped cilantro stems. Had to stop myself from eating it all at once.
Caroline
Awesome! You don't need the extra salt at all though. There's plenty in the fish sauce (opt for more here vs. less), the peanuts (I added extra here too), and the dried shrimp (a MUST if you're gunna do this right). Leave some seeds in the chilies so you get a nice hit of heat. Not the same without it.
Elvis
A perfect use for those zucchinis that are about to threaten your sanity...
Joanne
I had to triple the dressing and I double the long beans, which I parboiled and added some scallions as well. It was a hit.
Dvious
Lao/Hmong style papaya salad is the only way to go. Pungent. Funky. Tangy. Spicy.
Andrei H
Yes, you can use green mango. I just came from Bangkok. There was a stand at the food court which was serving green papaya and mango salads. And based on what your order they either add green papaya or mango to the mix. The rest of ingredients were the same. I tried both. To my personal taste green mango tastes more acidic, therefore I prefer a green papaya salad.
Caroliina
Instead of papaya, I julienned a jalapeno pepper after discarding the white membrane and seeds; substituted whole home-grown Thompson seedless grapes for the tomatoes; omitted the long beans and added soft-boiled hummingbird eggs. Delicious!
Tim L.
Jicama works great instead of Papaya!
Diane
Note to the uninitiated to Asian green papaya. When you cut a green papaya in half, the usual brown seeds of ripe papaya are not there, instead tiny white seeds , like marbles, that can roll out anywhere! 😃
adg
A little more gula apong and lime juice helps punch up the flavour, but very good as is as well. Will make many times again.
Keith
..hopefully Caroliine was joking about hummingbird eggs, but just to be clear, "Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, it is a criminal offense to take hummingbird eggs from nests or to even simply have them in your possession"
KDA
A friend served something like this as a garnish in some lettuce wraps that used an easy Thai coconut curry ground chicken filling. Addictive and divine!
Es
Need to perfect this. I didn't have the dried shrimp. I do have a dedicated papaya shredder however.
V. Amara Sinha
I would reduce the garlic next time..it was bit too "garlicky" for my family
Ruth
Needed more salt, sugar, and fish sauce - and I still felt something was missing.
Jackie
Used shredded green papaya from our local Asian grocery.
Greta
This salad was so good! I followed the recipe and used about a half of a large Serrano pepper and it was SPICY! I put 1/4 of the pepper into the paste and sliced the other 1/4 and out into the salad. Did not need to any extra pepper to the salad. Dried Shrimp was a nice touch because it gave the salad good texture.
Liz
I make this with jicama, which is easier for me to find than green papaya, and include the dried shrimp. I think it's fabulous.
Cynthia
What is meant by long beans?
Cesaera
yard long beans, or bora as the Guyanese call them , are actually 1-2 feet long. you can buy them in the Asian market or an East Indian market. they are delicious
Rahul
As I'm vegetarian I'm looking for a substitute for the fish sauce, Any suggestions?
Dee K
Coconut aminos, Bragg’s or miso paste should all impart a similar funky-fishy flavor, minus the fish!
Summerlinaus
I have not tried this recipe but I think it might be good with Hearts of Palm noodles which are available canned (and a lot less work than shredding the papaya, also it's smaller quantities. When I have had this dish in Thai restaurants it has been with freshly cooked cold shrimp, which I prefer to the dried. But be sure to add the heat!
Roslyn Miller
This is one of my favorite dishes! We eat this as a one-dish meal. My variations: Top each serving with a handful of chopped Planters dry roasted peanuts. If you don't have the long beans or tomatoes, it's still great with papaya as the only vegetable. Add chopped cilantro Use one jalapeno for the chilis Top with Thai garlic shrimp (from The Spruce Eats) It takes me more than 20 minutes to make, but leftovers are good, so the prep time is worthwhile.
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