What makes Thai food ever so delicious? It’s the harmonious blend of sweetness, spiciness and tanginess of some dishes that we find it flavourful and yet curious in our tastebuds. You can find Som Tam or Thai Green Papaya Salad in almost every Thai restaurants. Not just because of its vibrant colours but it’s the wonderful mix of fruits and vegetables, unripe fruit to be specific like the green papaya and green mango which we find it so exotic especially to the westerners.
Servings: 2 people
Prep Time: 25 mins
Ingredients:
250 gram Thai green papaya peel and shred
1 green mango peel and cut in slices
0.5 tbsp palm sugar to taste
3 pieces garlic peel
2 tbsp roasted peanuts coarsely crush
2 tbsp dried prawns(shrimps) soak, rinse and drain
4 pieces french beans (or long beans/ speziebonen) cut in 1 cm length
2 pieces green or red fresh rawit (bird’s eye chillies) to taste (optional)
1 tbsp lime juice (from fresh limes) to taste
1 tbsp fish sauce to taste
1 tbsp tamarind water/juice
4 pieces butter lettuce/ romaine sla
6 pieces Cherry tomatoes cut in half
Pinch of salt
Steps:
1. Use pestle and motar and pound garlic with pinch of salt.
2. Add peanuts and dried prawns and pound coarsely.
3. Add cherry tomatoes and beans. Make sure you mix them well without pounding.
4. Add bird’s eye chilies (rawit), without crushing them. if you pound them, the dish will be spicy.
5. Add green papaya and green mango and lightly bruise them with the pestle. 
6. Season with fish sauce,palm sugar,lime juice and tamarind water.
7. It should taste sweet, sour, salty and hot (if you like spicy). If you prefer sweeter, add more palm sugar to taste. On a serving plate, dress a few lettuce and spoon the papaya salad on top of it.
Rosie Gohres | www.flavoursofsingapore.nl | www.rosiegohres.com
