Green papaya salad or som tum is world famous for a reason. It's an explosion of flavour and texture unlike any other dish. For Thai people, som tum occupies a place in our hearts and on our palates that no other dish can truly replace. There are many kinds of som tum, and in this post I'll guide you through the making of the most popular one, which is the classic Thai style papaya salad or som tum thai. It is easy, but there are many important things to know!
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First, what exactly is som tum?
Som tum ส้มตำ is not a single dish, but a whole category of salads which originated from the Northeast of Thailand and Laos. What defines a som tum is 2 things: first, the spicy and sour dressing that is unique to these salads, and second, it must be made in a mortar and pestle (though there are ways around it which we will discuss). The clue is also in the name; som means sour, and tum means to pound in a mortar and pestle.
Fun Fact: In the Northeast of Thailand, this dish is referred to as tum som instead of som tum!
Though it is called a green papaya salad in English, and indeed most som tum involves green papaya, som tum doesn't actually require any papaya at all. You can make som tum with any kind of vegetables, fruits, or even meats. Try this apple and chayote salad or corn and cucumber salad for example!
Som tum is widely available in Thailand both as street food and in sit-down restaurants. People also commonly make it at home. And though it originated from the Northeast, and indeed that is where it is most frequently consumed, it is a dish that has spread throughout the country.
Types of Som Tum
There are hundreds of kinds of som tum you can make, and today more than ever people are becoming more and more creative with ingredients they use. Again, there are only 2 requirements for som tum as mentioned previously.
But there are some common types of som tum that are worth knowing about:
- Som tum thai - Thai style papaya salad. This is the type most commonly offered in Thai restaurants overseas, and it is the type we're making in this recipe. It uses roasted peanuts, dried shrimp, tends to be a little sweet, and does not use pla ra, a type of fermented fish sauce.
- Som tum lao/som tum pla ra - Lao style papaya salad. This is a favorite of those who love a little funkiness and a lot of umami. It uses pla ra, a fermented fish sauce made from freshwater fish, which is thicker and funkier smelling than regular fish sauce. It also does not use any peanuts and dried shrimp. See my recipe for som tum pla ra here.
- Tum Sua - Lao style papaya salad with rice noodles. The noodles we add are specifically kanom jeen, which are round rice noodles that are often referred to as "rice vermicelli" in Vietnamese restaurants.
- Tum Tang - Cucumber salad. Uses cucumber instead of papaya.
Don't let the above common types limit your imagination. We also add salted duck eggs, corn, raw Thai eggplant, pickled crab, Vietnamese ham, fruits, and all kinds of things. Think of som tum like a salad bar, the options are endless!
Ingredients for Thai Style Papaya Salad
Now let's get to making som tum! Here are all the ingredients you'll need for Thai style papaya salad specifically, and important notes about them.
- Green papaya, julienned. Green papaya is an underripe papaya, but you want to use the large ones (about 10-12 inches long) common in Southeast Asia, not the small Hawaiian ones. You can find green papaya at Asian stores that carry Vietnamese/Thai/Lao products. More on HOW to julienne green papaya and what to use instead below.
- Long beans. If you don't have long beans you can substitute green beans. The long beans we add are eaten raw. If you want to use green beans, I find they taste a bit better if you blanch them in boiling water for 15 seconds - apparently some people also have a hard time digesting raw green beans.
- Roasted peanuts. I prefer buying raw peanuts and roasting my own as they taste much better than pre-roasted ones. And if you're at an Asian grocery store, red skin-on peanuts are also tastier! Simply roast them in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size.
- Dried shrimp, think of them as shrimp jerky. They're chewy, umami, salty bits that will add flavour and texture to the salad. If possible get medium size ones so they're meatier, and not the papery thin ones as those will not add any texture and tend to just disappear into the salad.
- Tomatoes. Any kind of tomatoes will work for this, though in Thailand the tomatoes we use are closer to a large grape tomato. Tomato juices will add lots of great flavour to the dressing
- Serving suggestion: sticky rice and BBQ chicken are classic pairings with papaya salad!
Papaya Salad Dressing Ingredients
As I mentioned, the dressing is one thing that defines a som tum, and the art of som tum dressing lies in the delicate balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy. While there are variations to the dressing, the ingredients below are common to most som tum, so you can think of these as the "basic" som tum dressing ingredients that you can build upon.
- Garlic.
- Thai chilies, to taste. Som tum is supposed to be spicy, but feel free to make it as spicy as you can tolerate. Starting with 1 Thai chili is fine, and if you're so inclined, adding 10-15 chilies isn't uncommon in Thailand! However, if you like it very mild, I recommend not omitting the chilies, but rather removing the seeds and pith from 1 Thai chili. This is because the flavour of chilies is important to the dressing, and if you omit them altogether you will be missing this flavour note.
- Palm sugar. It's important to use palm sugar as it provides a caramelly flavour in addition to sweetness. If not available, you can substitute light brown sugar or even maple syrup. Read more about palm sugar here.
- Fish sauce. This is what will add saltiness and umami to our dressing. Learn more about how to choose good quality fish sauce here.
- Fresh lime juice. We have sweet, salty, and now the most important flavour of som tum, the sour! Lime juice is a critical ingredient in all types of som tum. Always squeeze it fresh from a lime for best flavour, do not use bottled lime juice for this!
- Tamarind paste. Tamarind paste is a sour liquid made from combining tamarind pulp with water. Though it is not strictly necessary since we are already adding lime juice, I find the acidity to be more well rounded when we combine tamarind and lime together. You can buy tamarind paste already made in a tub (often called tamarind concentrate) or make it easily from tamarind pulp using my DIY tamarind recipe here. (Do not buy tamarind concentrate from India as it is very different)
Tools: The Mortar and Pestle
As I mentioned, the first requirement of a som tum is that it should be made in a mortar and pestle, because "tum" means to pound in a mortar and pestle (but there is a workaround)! But not any kind of mortar and pestle will work for this.
Ideally the mortar should be large enough to hold the whole salad in it. So in the picture above, the tallest, brown set in the back is what we use for som tum. We also do not pound heavily, since this is a salad after all, so we use a light wooden pestle for gentler pounding. The papaya salad mortar is made of clay or wood, making it lighter and thinner than our type of mortar made from granite.
However, if you own a gratnite mortar and pestle like one of the ones in the picture, you can still use it for part of the process, as I'll discuss in the methods.
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Thai Green Papaya Salad ส้มตำไทย (som tum)
- Yield: 2 servings
Description
Authentic recipe for Thai green papaya salad (som tum). This version is the Thai style or "som tum thai" that is popular the world over.
Ingredients
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- 1 ½ cups julienned green papaya, soak in ice water for 10-15 minutes until they are firmer (See video @1:20 on how to julienne green papaya)
- 2 cloves garlic
- Thai chilies, to taste
- 1 ½ Tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
- 2-3 long beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 Tbsp roasted peanuts (see note)
- 1 heaping tablespoon small dried shrimp, roughly chop if you have large ones
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (see note)
- 2 tsp tamarind paste (what is tamarind?)
- 1 ½ Tbsp fish sauce
- ½ cup grape tomato halves or a small tomato cut into wedges
- Serving suggestion: sticky rice and BBQ chicken are classic pairings with papaya salad!
Notes:
I prefer buying raw peanuts and roasting them myself for the best flavour. Simply put them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 15-18 minutes until they're golden, stirring them half way through for even roasting. Keep leftover roasted peanuts in the fridge or freezer to keep them fresher longer.
See video for the Thai way of cutting lime. If you have a big juicy lime, 2 tablespoon of juice is about ⅔ of the lime (so if you cut the lime the way I did in the video, you'll only need to juice piece #1 and #2). If your lime is small or doesn't have much juice, use the whole lime. You can always measure out the lime juice before adding to be sure.
Instructions
- Drain the soaked papaya well and place in a bowl lined with 2 layers of paper towel to absorb excess water. You want to have as little water on the papaya as possible so as to not dilute the dressing.
- In a large mortar and pestle, pound garlic and chilies until there are no more big chunks (pieces of chili skin are fine).
- Add palm sugar and mash with the pestle until it turns into a wet paste and all the chunks are dissolved.
- Add long beans and pound just until they're broken.
- Add dried shrimp and peanuts and pound to break the peanuts up slightly.
- Add fish sauce, tamarind paste, and lime juice, adding the squeezed lime skin into the mortar as well for extra lime fragrance. Stir with a large spoon to mix and dissolve the sugar.
- Add shredded papaya and tomatoes, and mix using the pound-and-flip method as shown in the video @8:40. Once everything looks well mixed and the tomatoes are just slightly crushed, it's done!
- Plate and sprinkle with the remaining peanuts (I forgot to do this in the video!).
- For a truly classic Northeastern Thai meal, serve with sticky rice and the ultimate BBQ chicken
If you have a small mortar and pestle:
- Follow instructions above in your small mortar, and stop before adding the papaya and tomatoes.
- Transfer the dressing into a large mixing bowl, then add the papaya and tomatoes and toss, pushing on the tomatoes slightly to bruise and release a bit of the juice.
- Plate and sprinkle with the remaining peanuts.
If you don't have any mortar and pestle:
- Finely mince or grate the garlic and finely mince the chilies and add them to a mixing bowl.
- Put finely chopped palm sugar in a small bowl and drizzle a little hot water on it and mash it into a paste with a fork.
- Add fish sauce, lime juice and tamarind and stir until the sugar is dissolved and add to the garlic and chilies. Stir everything around to infuse the garlic and chilies into the dressing.
- Roughly chop half the peanuts and add to the mixing bowl.
- Bruise the long beans until broken using anything heavy you can find in the kitchen (a bottle, a can, rolling pin) then add to the mixing bowl.
- Add tomatoes and press on them to bruise and release the juice slightly.
- Add papaya and toss to mix.
- Plate and garnish with the remaining peanuts.
Sarah says
My family absolutely love Thai food and wanted to know if I can use regular sugar instead of palm sugar! Also do you have a recipe for udon noodles that’s made with spicy sauce made with shrimp paste?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
I would use light brown sugar instead of white sugar just so you're not eliminating flavour altogether. I don't have any udon recipes sadly 🙂
Rick says
Pailin,
Having traveled to Thailand, this is one of the dishes that I now and then crave (second to mango sticky rice!). Just made this recipe today and now I sit with a pleasant fire in my mouth so thank you very much for posting this!! I made the salad a couple of hours ago, put it in the fridge thinking that the flavors would marry a bit more, and while they have, the papaya has lost some crispness it had before placing it in the fridge. It's still quite tasty though. I might add some more of the green papaya that I didn't initially incorporate (I made a double recipe but had about 7 cups of shredded papaya) to see if that will liven the crunch and mouth feel back up.
Jessica says
I have never left a comment on a recipe, but this deserved it!! After coming back from a long holiday in Thailand I have been craving this dish daily! Even local Thai restaurants back home weren't hitting the mark! This is EXACTLY like it tasted in Thailand! I LOVED IT! Thank you so much for sharing! <3
Nyfallio says
It would be nice to know how many grams that papaya is. Are you guys really putting that stuff in cups to measure?
Peter says
This is the most authentic recipe out there. One thing I would not do again though is add the lime peel - it somehow got into the flavor of the sauce lending a somewhat bitter citrus note to the dressing. Otherwise 5 start great!
Reeta Shah says
Hi, l have to take papaya salad for pot luck dinner. How can l prepare this. I would like to keep some crunch and don’t want it to be soggy. The above recipe how many people does it serve? Thank you in advance.
Nittaya says
I’m preparing some for a potluck in the morning! If it’s the same day just make all of it at home and bring it in with an extra side of crushed peanuts. Since I’m making it tonight I’m doing everything except the tomatoes, and will pound them in before leaving the house in the am.
Adam from HTK says
Hi Reeta, Adam here and "Yield: 2 servings" (she includes servings at the top of the recipe card). Cheers!
Rajan Menghani says
I tried it it was great
Use proper serated thai papaya peeler
Alysa Nantarojanaporn says
Anytime I make a new Thai dish that's not one I make often, the first place I look for a recipe is here. My papaya salad was a hit at the company potluck.
And the tip to use a bowl of you don't have a big enough mortar was extremely helpful. I revisit this recipe all the time when I want my dish to turn out great.
Reeta Shah says
Hi Alysa,
For potluck dinner how did you take your salad. Did you mix everything before you took it or assemble on arrival. Thanks.
Sam says
Great recipe and instructions, but I cannot for the life of me find the video for this recipe on this page anywhere. You mention there's a full video tutorial, but I don't see the video anywhere on this page. Can you please help?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
It's right there on the page above the recipe, but do you have ad blockers enabled? That will block the video.
Andi Fishfingers says
We have this Thai Street Food Restaurant around the corner. When i order the papaya salad with the cancer i really don't know how to to eat it. I always crack the little crusty arms but i feel i do it wrong. How do i eat it properly?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
You mean the crab? It should be broken enough that you can suck out the sweet flesh.
Daniel says
I love the recipe! It reminds me so much of Thailand. Luckily, I am going there soon again.
For everybody who cannot get green papaya and lives in a colder country, I recently found the perfect substitute for it: turnip cabbage / kohlrabi! Trust me, it has the perfect texture and in the salad it tastes just like green papaya. I couldn't believe it before I made it myself. I am soooo happy I found this very cheap alternative to green papaya. I make som tum very often now and enjoy it with home made larb and sticky rice. Yummmmy!
Mario Raffl says
Tried it with Kohlrabi too, today. It's perfect! It's local and way cheaper than the green papaya. I also added one shredded carrot and used our local green beans (which have to be blanched).
Brad says
when I first bought the papaya it was green and the after I pealed it the inside was orange. Can I use this in som tum?
Jo says
I'm trying to increase my veg and this salad is perfect. Absolutely love it, and the pounded cabbage one in the Sabai cookbook. Thank Pailin
Yoris Wilson says
I absolutely love pawpaw salad, but have recently moved to a country where it is difficult to source pawpaw. I have been reading the comments about substituting apple,cucumber etc but was wondering if pumpkin might work
Darren Schneider says
Wow!!! Just made this for the first time , so damn easy ....always seen it made in Thailand 🇹🇭 and always thought I have to try ..... and I did. It's my go to salad to take places and share ( my mouth is on fire but loving it all the same , I doubled the sauce.) The beer is helping. My plate is now empty .
Christine Bestavros says
It's a very hot summer and I'm making Sunday dinner. I made your Ultimate BBQ chicken Gai Yang. Your instructions were awesome, even shopping was fun. I learned so much from your instructions. Paired with Green papaya salad (so yummy) and Thai rice. It was sooo delicious. I would have taken a photo but the family dug right in. Can't wait for leftovers and will definitely do again. Thank you for given my family a taste of home cooked Thai.
Tom Baker says
Great version, Pai! Because papaya is so dear here (more than steak) I like to experiment and use substitutes: thinly sliced fruit/veggies such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples, cucumbers, grapes (treated like the cherry tomatoes), jicama or chayote - all work well. I also add mint or basil at times, which adds to the complexity.
I love fusion! After all, this dish is a fusion given that hot peppers did not exist in Thailand until after Columbus!
Great dish!
Jeremy says
That was my solution Tom. I don't get green Papaya in my country and whether I freeze pawpaw prior to juilienning it or throw it on top of the dish, doesn't make a difference. It's texture is always compromised. Granny smith apples are the ideal sub as they hold their own so I find them even better then papaya. Texture spot on, sour and sweet, not the other way round.
TexasGal says
What can I substitute for the shrimp and the fish sauce to make this recipe vegetarian? Thanks.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Omit the shrimp and use soy sauce 🙂
Tim Johnson says
Hello!
How can I make this recipe vegan?
Also can I make the dressing beforehand?
We have concentrate tamarind, is that okay to use?
Joanna says
This is an absolute favorite in our home. Flawless recipe!
Alison says
Hello, is the tamarind the sweet or sour variety in this recipe? thank you
Stephen Quinn says
Thank you for your reply, I have used cucumber and ripe mango which was yummy against the spicy chillies.
Kind regards,
Stephen
Stephen Quinn says
Hi,
What alternative to green papaya or mango could be used ?
Thank you
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Any crunchy veg like cabbage, carrot,kohlrabi, or even cucumber.
Donna says
Hi, just want to check if I need to soak the dried shrimp first before adding to the salad? Also I assume they’re already cooked so no need to cook/ re-cook from the packet? Thank you!
Mario says
In most cases when using citrus it will "cook" whatever raw meats chicken, seafood, pork, beef. Not cooked in the sense of when it is cooked with heat but it does. What essentially happens when using citrus, vinegar or even wine is that the acidic values of the juices will break down the proteins. This is the reason this process is used mostly in salads. In the Latin world it is "ceviche", "hinava" in Malaysia, "kilawin" in the Philippines, "kelaguen" in Mariana Islands, "Poisson cru" in Tahiti. In Hawaii "poke" seldom is made with citrus so instead the fish is raw when consumed.
Denise says
Absolutely perfect! So fresh and it’s perfect with fish.