Som Tam (Green Papaya & Mango Salad)
Ingredients
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 3-5 birds eye chillies
- Teaspoon of dried shrimp (optional)
- 1⁄2 cup of snake beans cut into 2cm lengths
- 1 carrot, julienne
- 1 1⁄2 cups of green papaya, peeled and cut into
julienne
- 1 cup of mango, peeled and cut into thick slices
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons of palm sugar
- Small handful of cherry tomatoes, washed and
halved
- Small handful of unsalted peanuts, roughly
chopped
Method
- Take a mortar and pestle and pound the garlic and the chilies until they come to a paste. Add the shrimp (if using) and the green beans and pound them just a little so you squash them without turning them into a paste. Add the carrot and then the papaya and continue to pound away, this will bruise the papaya so it can take on the flavour of the chilli and garlic.
- Now add the lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar and take a spoon and stir the ingredients through so the flavours are even throughout.
- Have a taste, the flavour should be hot, sour and salty, if you feel the flavour is uneven add a little more lime juice or fish sauce or chili to balance it out.
- Finally fold through the mango, halved cherry tomatoes and the chopped peanuts, stir once more and serve immediately
