Thai raw papaya salad called ‘Som Tum’ in Thai… umm yum!

Thai raw papaya salad called ‘Som Tum’ in Thai… umm yum!, a photo by centrepointhospitality on Flickr.

Thai raw papaya salad called ‘Som Tum’ in Thai… umm yum! Green, healthy, crispy, crunchy, juicy, tangy, utmost delicious, and most of all oil-free! A delectable combination of sweet-sour-spicy tantalising your taste buds. Filling as well packed with energy giving peanuts(good source of monounsaturated fats)! Great healthy-cum-delicious alternative for dieters!
In case you are looking for a more filling meal.. it has a great combination paired with Thai sticky rice ‘khao-neo’, and Thai roasted chicken ‘kai yaang’ ! Go for it today!

The dish combines the five main tastes of the local cuisine: sour lime, hot chili, salty, savory fish sauce, and sweetness added by palm sugar. The ingredients are mixed and pounded in a mortar. Despite the use of papaya, which one may think of as sweet, this salad is actually savory. When not yet ripe, papaya has a slightly tangy flavor. The texture is crisp and firm, sometimes to the point of crunchiness. It is this that allows the fruit to withstand being beaten in the mortar.

In Thailand, it is customary that a customer ask the preparer to make the dish suited to his or her tastes. The dish as prepared in central Thailand may be referred to as ‘Som Tam Thai’.

Traditionally the local variety of green papaya salad in the streets of Bangkok is very hot due to the addition of a fistfull of chopped hot Bird’s eye chili, however with its rising popularity among tourists, it is often served now not as hot. You can say “mai phet” to have it non-spicy, or “phet-noi” for less spicy.