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Thai papaya salad, also called Som Tam or Som Tum, is a popular and delicious salad made with shredded green papaya and has a mix of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy tastes. Learn how to make this green papaya salad, and where to find the ingredients in this recipe guide.
Papaya Salad
Papaya Salad, or Som Tum (sometimes spelled Som Tam), is a quintessential Thai dish. I first savored its authentic flavors in Hat Yai, a bustling town in Southern Thailand. Widely hailed as Thailand’s national dish, Som Tum traces its origins to Isan (also spelled Isaan or Esarn), the northeastern region of Thailand.
In Thai, “Som” translates to “sour” and “Tum” to “pound” or “to pound,” reflecting the traditional preparation method of pounding ingredients together in a Thai wooden mortar and pestle. The rhythmic pounding of peanuts, garlic, and other ingredients is a captivating sound that always fills me with excitement and anticipation as I wait eagerly for my serving from the street vendor.
Som Tum embodies the essence of Thai cuisine: a harmonious blend of hot, sour, salty, and sweet flavors, just like my other Thai favorites: Tom Yum Soup, Pad Thai and Green Curry.
What Is Green Papaya
Green papaya, the unripe version of papaya, is prized for its firm and crisp texture, making it perfect for salads where it can absorb flavors well. Its taste is mild and slightly sweet, resembling cucumber.
Green papaya’s mild, slightly sweet taste and firm texture make it versatile for various dishes beyond salads, including stir-fries and soups.
Where To Buy Green Papaya?
In regions with a tropical or subtropical climate, you may be able to grow green papayas in your own garden. They require warm temperatures and well-drained soil, which is how many Thai and Laotian families obtain their supply of green papayas.
Shopping Guide: In the United States, you can find fresh whole green papayas at Asian supermarkets, typically in the produce section alongside other tropical fruits or in a section dedicated to Southeast Asian ingredients. Additionally, some Asian supermarkets offer pre-shredded green papaya, convenient for quickly preparing Som Tam. It’s also available occasionally at farmers’ markets and specialty grocery stores, in areas with a significant Southeast Asian community, for example: Hmong Farmers Markets in Minneapolis-St. Paul and the central valley of California.
Ingredients For Thai Papaya Salad
- Green papaya – used as the base of the salad.
- Long green beans – adds a crisp texture and slightly nutty flavor.
- Cherry tomatoes – adds a burst of sweetness and color to the salad.
- Fish sauce – adds depth of flavor and umami to the salad.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
Recipe Variations
Papaya salad, known by various names such as Som Tam in Thailand, Thum Mak Hoong in Laos, Bok L’hong in Cambodia, and Gỏi Đu Đủ in Vietnam, is popular across the Indochina region of Southeast Asia. Each country has its own unique version of this salad, incorporating local ingredients and flavors while sharing similarities in its refreshing and often spicy profile. Here are some of the most popular renditions in Thailand and they are found across the different regions in Thailand:
- Som Tam Thai: The classic version described above, made with regular fish sauce.
- Som Tam Poo: Includes small fermented crabs.
- Som Tam Isaan or Som Tam Pla Ra: made fermented fish sauce and black mud crabs.
- Som Tam Kai Kem: Includes salted duck eggs.
Helpful Tips For Home Cooks
Here are five simple tips for making green papaya salad at home:
- Choose the Right Papaya: Pick a firm, green papaya. It should be hard and green, not soft or yellow.
- Adjust Spiciness: Start with a little bit of Thai bird’s eye chili and add more if you want it spicier.
- Prepare Ingredients Early: Shred the papaya and make the dressing ahead of time. Mix everything together just before serving.
- Balance Flavors: Taste the dressing before adding it to the salad. Make sure it’s balanced with sweet, sour (lime juice), salty (fish sauce), and spicy flavors.
- Add Crunch: Sprinkle crushed peanuts on top for a crunchy texture. Optionally, garnish with fresh herbs like cilantro or Thai basil.
Following these tips will help you make a delicious green papaya salad at home!
How To Make Thai Papaya Salad
Step 1: Pound the garlic and bird’s eye chilies until they form a smooth paste.
Step 2: Add the dried shrimp and pound until the pieces are broken up, but not completely pulverized.
Step 3: Add the palm sugar (cut into small pieces), maybe 2-3 teaspoons at first. More to taste later.
Step 4: Add the peanuts and lightly pound them until they are broken into tiny pieces, but be careful not to crush them into a thick paste.
Step 5: Add the green beans and crush them with the mortar until they’re splitting and lightly bruised.
Step 6: Add the papaya and tomatoes, then pound them gently to bruise them. The goal is to crush the tomatoes slightly so they release their juices, enhancing both flavor and color.
Step 7: Add a couple of teaspoons of fish sauce and a couple of teaspoons of lime juice to the mix.
Step 8: Have a large spoon in one hand to help flip things over and scrape down the sides of the mortar, while using your other hand to pound away with the pestle.
Step 9: Continue pounding and flipping for a few seconds. Add more fish sauce, lime juice, or palm sugar as needed.
Step 10: Dish out and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this recipe is healthy and good for you because papaya is filled with nutrients, making it a great source of vitamins as well as healthy fiber. It is also full of enzymes that boost digestive health. This unripe green papaya is actually even healthier, as it contains even more of its natural enzymes.
This specific recipe is not vegetarian, due to the use of dried shrimp and fish sauce. However, it is easily made into a vegetarian or even vegan dish if you take out these two ingredients.
Freshly shredded green papaya should be eaten on the same day it’s prepared. I don’t recommend freezing or storing in the refrigerator as the texture will not be desirable.
Thai papaya salad is extremely light, with only 209 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Papaya Salad
Thai green papaya salad is often served as a side dish alongside grilled meats, seafood, or sticky rice. For a wholesome Thai meal at home, I recommend the following recipes:
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Green Papaya Salad
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 1-2 red Thai bird’s eye chilies
- 2 tablespoons dried shrimp
- Thai palm sugar, to taste
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
- 6 oz (170g) green papaya strands
- 6 cherry tomatoes , or grape tomatoes
- 1/3 cup long green beans, cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) lengths
- fresh lime juice , to taste
- fish sauce , to taste
Instructions
- Pound the garlic and bird’s eye chilies until they form a smooth paste.
- Add the dried shrimp and pound until the pieces are broken up, but not completely pulverized.
- Add the palm sugar (cut into small pieces), maybe 2-3 teaspoons at first. More to taste later.
- Add the peanuts and lightly pound them until they are broken into tiny pieces, but be careful not to crush them into a thick paste.
- Add the green beans and crush them with the mortar until they’re splitting and lightly bruised.
- Add the papaya and tomatoes, then pound them gently to bruise them. The goal is to crush the tomatoes slightly so they release their juices, enhancing both flavor and color.
- Add a couple of teaspoons of fish sauce and a couple of teaspoons of lime juice to the mix.
- Have a large spoon in one hand to help flip things over and scrape down the sides of the mortar, while using your other hand to pound away with the pestle.
- Continue pounding and flipping for a few seconds. Add more fish sauce, lime juice, or palm sugar as needed.
- Dish out and serve immediately.
Notes
- Choose the Right Papaya: Pick a firm, green papaya. It should be hard and green, not soft or yellow.
- Adjust Spiciness: Start with a little bit of Thai bird’s eye chili and add more if you want it spicier.
- Prepare Ingredients Early: Shred the papaya and make the dressing ahead of time. Mix everything together just before serving.
- Balance Flavors: Taste the dressing before adding it to the salad. Make sure it’s balanced with sweet, sour (lime juice), salty (fish sauce), and spicy flavors.
- Add Crunch: Sprinkle crushed peanuts on top for a crunchy texture. Optionally, garnish with fresh herbs like cilantro or Thai basil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was excellent. I found the missing ingredients on your website.❤️
Thank you!
Do you leave the green beans uncooked?
Yes.
Hi! I was browsing the internet for a papaya salad recipe and so thankful I found yours :) Thank you for simplifying the directions!
Thanks!
You always have such fun recipe ideas! Cross-cultural. Growing up with a Japanese mother was very entertaining and fascinating! She never measured anything, nor do I ever. Even when it came to baking, she used her cupped hand as a measuring cup. Everything she baked was always perfect. As a kid, I just marveled at what came out of my mother’s kitchen! So, occasionally, she’d let my dad cook. Not always the best…sorry, Dad. When she first moved to the US she had to “learn” to cook American food with the help of a Betty Crocker cookbook. Again, still no measuring. But she managed to make meatloaf, pot roast, “spaghetti,” and more. She always made rice daily, though. When she made “spaghetti,” she didn’t eat the pasta…she always had rice. When Asia food became more mainstream, she was a fan of Thai, Korean, Chinese, and more. She really liked spicy foods.
So today I decided to make a green papaya salad this time more like a Japanese-styled salad. I shredded the papaya and tossed it with salt to draw the water out (think cucumbers). I think the papaya should still be crisp and when I add the other ingredients like hot basil, Thai chile, maybe some daikon, green onion or chives, etc. it will be a flavorful salad. I might use some coconut milk. Green papaya is so versatile and there are so many variations of green papaya salad.
Btw, I like papaya seeds. From the ripe or from the green. Ripe seeds toasted I use like peppercorns and the immature seeds I toss with flesh in salt, let marinate and then add an acid like vinegar or citrus. The seeds have a unique flavor, slightly bitter and maybe a bit spicy but for me, all in a good way.
Bee, thanks for your postings!
This will be ,I’m sure, a very stupid question: is green papaya an under ripe papaya or is green papaya a different fruit? I live in Canada and we get papayas here but how do you tell how ripe or how under ripe the fruit is? I live in Vancouver and have access to a few Asian markets which I find hard to negotiate because of the Asian labeling. Any hints? Thank you for considering this request! I love your site!
Unripe papaya. Green papaya is green on the outside and the inside is also green. See the pictures as the papaya strands are green. You don’t have to negotiate at Asian stores, just take what you need and pay. :)
The first time we tried this was at Pok Pok in Portland OR – before he expanded. It was great! I found your blog a while back, first dish I made was the spicy basil chicken – my husband loved it so much he asked for it at least once a week for a year! When I saw you had a recipe for papaya salad I knew I couldn’t go wrong…it is so good, fresh, spicy (we add extra chilis), a perfect summer dish. Thank you for providing such great recipes to satisfy our cravings!!! I have tried and loved many of your recipes. My husband has 3 favorite requests now: spicy basil chicken, kung pao chicken and green papaya salad. Unfortunately he likes them so much I don’t get to go out for Thai/Chinese food as much! However, when he comes home and finds papaya salad I can pretty much get whatever I want :) I have meant to comment for couple of years now so here it is all wrapped up in one comment. Thanks again for your recipes, I always look to your posts for inspiration for dinner….especially when I want to impress guests!
Hi Shannon, thanks so much for your sweet comment. I am so happy that you love my green papaya salad and other recipes. I appreciate your support. :)
Any help with where or what to be looking for for some of these ingredients? Specifically the chills, sugar, dried shrimp. I live in the NW.
Can dried shrimps be eaten without cooking them? Or you need to roast them before use?
You can eat them as is.