Thai Papaya Salad | Authentic Som Tam Recipe | Rosa’s Thai (2024)

FAQs

How to make som tam papaya salad? ›

Compared to Lao papaya salad, the Thai version is milder, less pungent, and lighter in flavor. Think of it as a lighter counterpart to the heavy and flavor-packed thum mak hoong, which is immediately recognizable by its dark sauce. Visually, the Lao version is darker in color, while the Thai one is lighter.

This flavorful dish combines sweet, sour, spicy, and salty flavors that are addicting and delicious. Its dressing is made from simple ingredients like lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, and Thai chilies. The ingredients can be sourced from Asian markets and/or local grocery stores.

Som tam Thai: Green papaya salad, the most famous tam in the world.

Som Tam – Green papaya salad

The tangy, spicy, and delicious green papaya salad is the country's daily staple, and for many Thais, a day without Som Tam is a day wasted. Som Tam offers all the benefits of a vegetable salad, being full of fiber and vitamins while remaining low in calories, fat, and carbs.

In some Asian countries, unripe papaya fruit is eaten as salad and this led to trends in Taiwan as well. However, unripe papaya fruit may taste bitter during cool seasons. Glucosinolate and cyanogenic glucoside are among the substances that cause bitter taste in many plants, which can also be found in papaya.

The theory that green papaya salad originated in Laos explains why som tam is so popular in Isaan. Isaan is Thailand's largest and northernmost region. It also shares a border with Laos. Isaan has a history of taking culinary cues from Laos.

If you can't find swede or green papaya, you could use turnip and cucumber.

Vietnamese vs.

Both versions of this salad are quite similar. However, unlike the Vietnamese version, Thai papaya salad (Som Tam) features long beans, tomatoes, and a dressing made with tamarind juice.

Papaya has many benefits, including protection against heart disease, reduced inflammation, aid in digestion, and boosting your immune system. There are also benefits to eating papaya seeds. You can enjoy papayas in many ways, such as in smoothies and salads.

What country invented papaya salad? ›

It is believed to have originated in Laos, from where it was exported into Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Variations of the dish are found throughout Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and as well as in the West, where it is more commonly known by its Thai name.

What to eat? Here are some popular suggestions: Kway Tio (noodle soup), Pad Thai Goong (Thai fried rice noodles with prawns), Pad Kapow Neua (stir-fried basil with beef), Pad See Iew (noodles in soy sauce) and Kao Pad (fried rice with a choice of meat or seafood).

Among all Thai dishes, the most famous one for foreigners is Padthai. Basically it is fried rice noodles with your choice of shrimps or chicken, mixed with egg, tofu, vegetables and, the secret ingredient, a sauce based on tamarind and palm sugar.

The four types of salads in Thai cuisine are Yam, Laap, Dtam and Phlaa.

Bromolain in pineapple, papain in papaya and actinidin in kiwi are all enzymes capable of breaking down proteins, hence the warning that these fruits cannot be used in Jell-O. But canned fruits are fine because the pasteurization process they undergo destroys the proteolytic enzymes.

'Som tam' refers to crushing fruit or other produce that is sour. So, if you change papaya to another fruit, you'll get a new flavour in the mix. This is why Thai people can eat this dish so often,” explained Chuduang. Nakapan said, “Som tam's deliciousness is in its smooth composition.

Raw papaya salad comes with multiple health benefits. It helps in improving digestion and helping in detoxification of the body. It also helps in rejuvenating the cells. Raw papaya is loaded with fibres, which help in preventing constipation.