This traditional Thai Green Papaya Salad or Som Tam Salad is a crunchy salad made using green raw papaya as the hero ingredient. It’s easy to make, gluten-free, and can be made vegan by skipping fish sauce.
About This Recipe
There is nothing like a good bowl of refreshing salad for lunch, especially in Summers. I look out for simple and full of flavor salads, that are easy to make as making a full-fledged meal in the scorching heat of summers can really be a task. So whenever I am alone or we are in a mood to eat something very light, I always opt for salads.
SOM TAM, is one of my forever favorites, as it belongs to my favorite Thai cuisine. With the perfect flavors of spicy, tangy, and sweet in one, this green papaya salad is always a winner at the dining table.
It is a simple and traditional Thai Salad that is made with the combination of raw green papaya, carrots, beans, and bean sprouts. Peanuts are added in this salad, which adds a beautiful crunch to the salad along with the taste.
This delicious blend of vegetables is flavored with a spicy soy-based dressing that adds a perfect spike to it. Skip adding fish sauce to make it vegan.
This Thai Papaya Salad is light on the stomach and can also be packed for your Lunch Boxes. Just make sure to pack the dressing in a separate box and mix it with the salad when you are ready to relish it.
You can find this oh-so-delicious salad on the menu of every possible Thai restaurant and it is also popular street food. While the ingredients might differ a bit, but all are equally delicious.
You can also try some of my other favorite Asian Salad – Oriental Ramen Noodle Salad.
This Salad is
- Easy & Simple to make
- Authentic
- Traditional
- Filling
- Super Healthy
- Gluten-Free
- Vegan (Don’t use fish sauce)
Ingredients
Vegetables – It is a combination of raw green papaya, carrots, beans, coriander leaves, and bean sprouts. Some people also make it with just raw papaya and carrots.
Peanuts – Crushed roasted peanuts add a crunch and bite to any recipe, and I just love how well it taste with raw papaya salad.
Dressing – This dressing is made with simple ingredients such as Garlic, Red Chilli, Vegetable Oil, Lime Juice, Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Brown Sugar, and Salt.
Step By Step Recipe
Soak the papaya shreds and carrot juliennes in some cold water for 10 minutes.
Add beans in a mortar and pestle and gently bruises them.
Drain and mix papaya and carrots with bean sprouts and coriander leaves in a bowl.
Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
Sprinkle the roasted peanuts and coriander on top. Serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use a knife to shred the Papaya. All you have to do is make long cuts in the raw papaya flesh, thinly slice the top layer into the bowl until all the papaya is shredded. But it can be a difficult job to shred papaya like this if you don’t have practice. Therefore, you can use a large size grater or julienne peeler to shred the papaya.
Traditionally, Thai Som Tam is eaten with sticky rice. Take a ball of sticky rice, make a slight indent with your thumb, and use it to pinch or scoop up the papaya salad.
Som Tam is a flavourful salad that can be eaten on its own for a light meal. You can even serve it as a side dish with your Thai meals. This salad also makes for a great snack or quick bite to eat between your meals or whenever the hunger strikes.
You can keep this delicious Green Papaya Salad in the refrigerator stored in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.
Recipe Card
Som Tam Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cup Raw papaya (cut in juliennes)
- ½ cup Carrot (cut in juliennes)
- ½ cup Bean sprouts
- 5 – 6 French beans (Cut into small pieces)
- ¼ cup Roasted peanuts
- 2 tbsp Coriander (Chopped)
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 2 tsp Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Fish sauce (Skip if making the salad vegan.)
- 2 tsp Honey
- ½ tsp Garlic (grated)
- 1 Red chili (Chopped)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Mix raw papaya, carrot, bean sprouts and french beans in a bowl.
- In another bowl, mix the ingredients for the dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
- Transfer the salad in a serving bowl.
- Sprinkle the roasted peanuts and coriander on top.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!