Papaya Salad Som Tam Thai – Our authentic original recipe

Walking down one of Thailand's busy streets, you'll hear the rhythmic pounding of wooden pestles on clay mortars as vendors prepare different variations of som tam—crushed lettuce combined with a sour dressing.

The most famous representative of this category is undoubtedly Som Tam Thai, a salad made from shredded green papayas in central Thailand, which has become synonymous with the term "Som Tam".

We'll show you how to make a real papaya salad right here in Germany, without buying tons of ingredients from the Asian market. With our ready-to-use Som Tam sauce , you get everything you need. Fresh, preservative-free, and authentically Thai. Made here in Bavaria.

Another requirement for Tam-style salads is a mortar and pestle, especially a wooden or clay mortar with a wooden pestle.

The goal of mashing salad ingredients is to lightly crush and break them up so that they release their juices without losing their crunchy texture.

The heavy granite mortar and pestle are excellent for crushing fibrous aromatics and dried spices into a fine paste, but not for pounding tasks that require a lighter touch. The larger capacity of a large clay or wooden mortar is ideal for mixing salads, but despite their size, they are much easier to handle.

Our pictures show a serving for 2-3 people. Depending on your taste, you can use more or less of one or another ingredient. This som tam recipe works well for more than just papaya salad: Experimental cooks can also substitute the green papaya with kohlrabi, or even mangoes or apples.

Ingredients for 2–3 servings of Som Tam Thai (papaya salad)

With a little practice, preparing som tam is quite quick; the longest part is chopping the ingredients. With our delicious papaya salad sauce, you'll save yourself a lot of work.

Just follow our cooking instructions.

Preparation of Thai papaya salad

1. Peel the green papaya and carrots, or alternatively the kohlrabi. Remove the seeds from the papaya. Cut the papaya into thin strips. It's best to use a julienne cutter or grater for this.

2. Place the peeled garlic cloves and Thai chilies in a mortar and pestle. Roughly crush them until lightly ground.

3. Add the green beans and dried shrimp to the mortar and pestle and lightly crush them to break up the beans and break up the shrimp.

4. Place the halved cherry tomatoes and roasted peanuts in the mortar and pestle. Gently crush them until the tomatoes are lightly crushed and release their juices.

5. Now add our papaya salad sauce and the lime pieces and mix everything again in a mortar.

6. Finally, add the papaya (or kohlrabi) and carrot strips. Gently mix them with the other ingredients until well blended.

7. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning to your liking. If desired, add a little more of our dressing, or even just fish sauce, sugar, or lime juice.

8. Arrange the papaya salad on a plate and garnish with additional peanuts or fresh herbs, if desired. Serve immediately to keep the salad fresh and crisp.