Som Tum ThaiAuthentic Thai Recipe

Ingredients−1servings+

• Papaya1 (medium size)
• Tomatoes4-5 (small tomatoes)
• Shredded Carrots1/2 cup
• Fish Sauce (Nam Pla)2-3 tablespoons
• Long Beans3-4 stalks
• Roasted Peanuts1/4 cup
• Chilies3-5 (adjust to taste)
• Garlic2-3 cloves
• Dried Shrimp2 tablespoons
• Lime1/2
• Palm Sugar (Nam Tan Piap)1 tablespoon
• Cabbageappropriate amount (for garnish)

Directions▶ Start cooking

1. Peel the papaya.
2. Score the papaya several times with a knife, then use a julienne peeler to thinly shred the papaya.
3. Place chilies and garlic in a mortar and pound them coarsely. Cover the opening of the mortar with your hand to prevent chilies from splashing out.
4. Cut the long beans into approximately 3-4 cm lengths, add them to the mortar, and lightly pound.
5. Cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the mortar.
6. Add the palm sugar (Nam Tan Piap) to the mortar.
7. Add the fish sauce (Nam Pla) to the mortar.
8. Squeeze 1/2 lime to extract the juice, then add the juice and the squeezed lime peel to the mortar.
9. Pound and mix until all ingredients are well combined and the palm sugar has dissolved.
10. Add the shredded papaya to the mortar.
11. Add the shredded carrots to the mortar.
12. Pound and mix until all ingredients are well combined.
13. Add the dried shrimp to the mortar.
14. Add the roasted peanuts to the mortar.
15. Lightly pound and mix until all ingredients are well combined.
16. Transfer the finished Som Tum to a plate.
17. Garnish the plate with long beans and cabbage to finish.

🧑‍🍳 Recipe analysis notes

Supplementary notes from the video analysis. Please check the original video before cooking.

⚠️ Where this goes wrong

• If the papaya is shredded too thickly, the seasoning may not penetrate well, and the texture can become tough.
• Be careful not to pound the ingredients too hard in the mortar, as they may become mushy and lose their crisp texture.
• It is important to adjust the amounts of fish sauce, lime, palm sugar, and chilies to find a balance of sour, sweet, and spicy flavors that suits your personal taste.

🔄 Substitutions

• If papaya is difficult to find, you can substitute with shredded cucumber or unripe mango for a similar texture.
• Instead of palm sugar (Nam Tan Piap), you can use brown sugar or regular sugar in the same amount.
• If long beans are unavailable, you can use regular green beans cut to the same length.

🎚️ Adjusting the taste

• You can effectively reduce the spiciness by decreasing the number of chilies or removing their seeds.
• You can reduce the saltiness by decreasing the amount of fish sauce by about 1/2 tablespoon, then tasting and adjusting.
• You can adjust the sweetness by reducing the amount of palm sugar by about 1/2 tablespoon.

✔️ Verification notes

• After mixing all ingredients, check if the balance of sour, sweet, spicy, and salty flavors suits your personal taste, and add more if necessary.
• When pounding with the mortar, periodically check that the papaya does not become too mushy and maintains its crisp texture.

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