Som Tam Recipe (Thai Green Papaya Salad)

This delicious vegan recipe for Thai Green Papaya Salad is everything you could possibly want from a salad: crunchy, sweet, sour, spicy, tangy and salty. Also known as Som Tam, this yummy, healthy salad is sure to put some pep in your step.

About Som Tam Recipe

Som Tam is a vibrant and refreshing Thai salad made with shredded green papaya, tossed with a tangy, spicy and slightly sweet dressing of tamarind, lemon juice, soy sauce, palm sugar, and chillies.

Traditionally pounded in a mortar and pestle, this crunchy salad is infused with flavors of garlic, roasted peanuts and tomatoes, offering a perfect balance of textures and tastes.

As spring approaches, I have a tendency to crave bright, fresh flavors and all the fruits and veggies I can get my hands on.

This delectable green papaya salad recipe hits all the right notes for my cravings. It is loaded with crunchy ingredients and tossed in a spicy, sour dressing that is positively addictive.

I also love how simple this recipe is to put together. With just a few minutes worth of effort, I can have a big bowl of flavorful goodness ready for me to devour.

Since green papaya salad is also quite healthy, I can eat as much as I want without feeling the least bit guilty.

So what are you waiting for? Grab what you need to make this yummy raw papaya salad and get to the kitchen!

Ingredients You Need

Once you try this green papaya salad recipe, you’ll be hooked on the awesome flavor. Also, don’t be intimidated by the ingredient list. While it might look a bit long, the ingredients are quite easy to find.

Just a few notes to consider for the ingredients:

• Green Papaya – green papaya is the unripened version of this popular fruit. When choosing your papaya, look for a uniform, bright green appearance and a firm consistency. It shouldn’t yield to pressure when you squeeze.
• Tamarind – this is a key ingredient in green papaya salad and I don’t recommend that you omit it. I make my own tamarind water from dried tamarind pulp.
• Soy Sauce – I use soy sauce to impart vegetarian umami flavor to my som tam without using fish sauce, which is a more traditional ingredient.
• Lemon Juice – wherever possible, use fresh lemon juice over bottled for a superior flavor.
• Bird’s Eye Chilies – native to Southeast Asia, bird’s eye chiles are roughly 10-20 times spicier than jalapeños and have an almost fruity flavor behind all their heat.
• Sea Salt – as with most recipes, salt brings all the flavors together in this Thai Som Tam recipe. Be sure to taste the final product and add more salt as necessary.
• Palm Sugar: traditionally the sweet notes in the raw papaya salad comes from palm sugar and this is what I always add.

How to Make Green Papaya Salad

Make Tamarind Water

1. For tamarind water, soak ½ teaspoon dried tamarind in 2 tablespoons hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Squeeze the tamarind with clean fingers and add the pulp to the water in the bowl. Set aside.

Grate Papaya

3. Rinse, pat dry and peel small to medium green papaya (400 grams). Halve it vertically. Remove any of the tiny white seeds and pith. Grate or shred using a food processor or a box grater.

Make Salad Dressing

4. In a mortar, take 3 to 4 small bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped and 2 medium garlic cloves.

5. Using a pestle and mortar, mash the bird’s eye chilies and garlic together. If using long beans, then add 2 to 3 beans (chopped) at this step. 

6. Add the following savory ingredients. Mash and mix everything to a loose paste. 

• prepared tamarind water or ½ to 1 tablespoon packaged tamarind sauce (adjust depending on the sourness)
• 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar (replace with brown sugar or coconut sugar or white sugar)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free dressing)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• sea salt as needed (or kosher salt, himalayan pink salt or edible food grade rock salt)

7. Add 1 small chopped tomato or 3 to 4 halved cherry tomatoes. 

8. Mash the tomatoes a bit, but not too much. 

Make Som Tam Salad

9. Pour this mixture in the bowl containing the shredded papaya.

10. Mix very well and mash a bit to soften the unripe raw papaya. Check the taste and add more salt, palm sugar, lemon juice, crushed bird’s eye chillies or tamarind pulp if needed.

11. Serve Raw Papaya Salad garnished with 1 tablespoon chopped or crushed roasted peanuts and 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (coriander leaves). Enjoy!

Expert Tips

• Tart taste: If you do not have dried tamarind, then use ½ to 1 tablespoon of packaged tamarind sauce or paste (depending on how sour it is).
• Lemon: If you can’t find any tamarind, increase the lemon juice in the recipe to somewhat mimic the sour flavor.
• Make it gluten-free: If you are avoiding gluten, you can opt for Tamari. If soy is off the table, reach for coconut aminos instead.
• Alter the pungency: You can use piri piri peppers in place of bird’s eye chiles depending on what you have available. Also, feel free to increase or decrease the amount used depending on your heat tolerance.
• Salt: While I reach for sea salt as my primary seasoning, you can opt to use kosher salt, Himalayan pink salt or table salt instead.
• Sweeteners: Other sweeteners like coconut sugar, raw sugar, jaggery also work well in the recipe. You could also use brown sugar or white sugar.
• Vegetables: We do not consume raw beans, so I do not add it in my recipe. However, if you want a more traditional Thai Papaya Salad, feel free to add them. You can also add grated carrots to the mix if you like.

FAQs