Green papaya salad -all you need to know

The first time I went to Thailand I didn’t have a papaya salad (ส้มตำ, som tam in Thai). When I got back home I started studying Thai cuisine and immediately one dish stood out to me, so different and so popular. Why had I never heard about this dish? What’s makes it so beloved? Where is it from? Who eats this stuff?

Let’s just say that on my next trip to Bangkok, I got the answers I was looking for. After a few hours of exploring the Sukhumvit road and a few back alleys, namely Soi 2, Soi 11, Soi 38 and many more I realized how popular som tam is. Virtually every single Soi was full of som tam vendors, it’s hard to give a percentage but there were lots of them and they seemed to be frequented by the locals. The vendors also had various grilled meats and sausages for sale. As I’m curious by nature I made friends with a really cool cabdriver who told me that many people working in Bangkok are from the northeastern part of Thailand. Especially the blue-collar workers are often guest workers from the rural northeast, referred to as Isaan in Thai

Som tam, green papaya salad, most likely originated in Laos. Many of the northeastern provinces of Thailand once belonged to Laos, so the food culture and tradition is very similar. This post is about the som tam in Thailand, so I won’t dive further into the origin of this much loved dish

There are a few basic versions of som tam in Thailand, most often the variations are regional and seasonal. The som tam, for example, in Roi Et province differs vastly from the som tam you tend to find in the south or even in Bangkok. I found the best som tam I’ve ever had at a restaurant located in Siam Square Soi 5, the restaurant is called Som Tam Nua. This restaurant is frequented by northeasterners, soap opera stars, Thai-pop singers and Thai people from all over. The food served at som tam nua is traditional Isaan fare

Back to the varieties. The most common one is som tam Thai which has a sweet and sour taste. The green papaya is pounded in a large wood or clay mortar along with dried shrimp, tomatoes, palm sugar, long beans, chilies, garlic, fish sauce, limejuice and peanuts. The variety which the northeasterners prefers is rather different from the sweet som tam Thai. The northeastern version Som Tam Isaan is salty, sour and has a smoky note to it. Once again, the green papaya gets pounded with an array of ingredients. Most northeastern version have green papaya as a base but they also add ingredients such as murky bpla la fermented fish sauce, brined rice field crab, MSG, tomatoes, hog plum, small eggplants, garlic, chilies, tamarind, lemon or lime and salt. A common trait is the use of Thai tomatoes, though the Isaan version also tends to have under ripe or green tomatoes added to it as well

So, below you’ll see a plate of som tam Thai

And below you’ll see a plate of som tam Isaan, also referred to as tam bak hoong in the Isaan dialect

Som tam is always made to order, if not you should go elsewhere. Since this dish is made to individual taste it’s important not to use measurements! If you like it more sweet, add more sugar. More sour, add more lime! I use a special peeler to shred my green papaya, however I sometimes also use a cleaver to shred the papaya. The former method is the preferred method in the northeast, personally I prefer the special peeler by Kiwi Brand

Preferably you use a Thai- wood or clay mortar for this recipe. This is how to make som tam Thai. First, pound chili and garlic until you achieve a coarse paste. Then add plam sugar and long beans, continue pounding the mixture a bit

Next you add in tomatoes, dried shrimp, toasted peanuts and gently bruise them.  Now it’s time to make the sauce, add in fish sauce and lime. At this point you need to taste and, if necessary, adjust the seasoning. Next, add in shredded green papaya and perhaps a little shredded carrot. Pound the salad until the papaya has absorbed the sauce/dressing. Serve with plenty of sweet basil, mint, cucumber, cabbage, salad and sticky rice or fermented rice noodles

TJG