TastyDays

Green Papaya Salad

Green Papaya Salad or Som tam is a spicy salad made from shredded unripened papaya. Som tam is similar to the Laotian dish tam mak hoong and the Cambodian dish bok l’hong. The dish combines the four main tastes of Thai cuisine: sour lime, hot chili, salty fish sauce, and sweetness added by palm sugar. In Thailand, it is customary that a customer ask the preparer to make the dish suited to his or her tastes, but traditionally, a typical som tam will contain some or all of the following items; Chili, Sugar, Garlic, Lime, Fish sauce, Brined Crabs, Shrimp Paste, Pla ra, yardlong beans, tomatoes and Hog Plums.