Thai Salad · thai cuisine

Street-Style Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)

Name: Street-Style Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 2 cups shredded green papaya (or green mango / shredded carrot-cabbage mix); 2 garlic cloves, 1–3 Thai chillies; 1 tbsp dried shrimp (optional), handful chopped long beans; 6 cherry tomatoes, halved; 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1½ tbsp lime juice, 1–1½ tbsp palm sugar; 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed; Small handful roasted peanuts and lime wedges to serve

Pound, taste, adjust. Lime, fish sauce, palm sugar until it makes your mouth wake up.

By Hasnain Khan · Tested in a home kitchen · Updated 2026-08-10

⏱ 25 min 👤 2–3 servings 🔥 Mild ⭐ 4.8 / 5

Recipe card

Prep20 min

Cook40 min

Total60 min

Yield2 servings

Rating4.8 / 5

Calories180

CuisineThai

CourseThai Salad

Jump to ingredients Jump to method Nutrition

Why this recipe works

Som tum is a conversation between sour lime, salty fish sauce, sweet palm sugar, and chilli heat, held together by the crunch of green papaya. On Bangkok streets the mortar sings — not crushed to mush, just bruised enough to marry flavours. I pound garlic and chilli first, then add long beans, tomatoes, and the dressing, and finally the papaya with a light hand.

Expert kitchen tips

No mortar? Bash in a bowl with a rolling pin end, then toss hard.
Green mango makes a fantastic tart variation when papaya is unavailable.

Ingredients

2 cups shredded green papaya (or green mango / shredded carrot-cabbage mix)
2 garlic cloves, 1–3 Thai chillies
1 tbsp dried shrimp (optional), handful chopped long beans
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp fish sauce, 1½ tbsp lime juice, 1–1½ tbsp palm sugar
2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed
Small handful roasted peanuts and lime wedges to serve

Step-by-step method

In a mortar, pound garlic and chillies to a rough paste.
Add palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime; mix to dissolve.
Add long beans and dried shrimp; pound lightly. Add tomatoes; bruise gently.
Add papaya and peanuts. Toss and lightly pound to coat without shredding to mush.
Taste — it should be loud. Adjust lime, fish sauce, sugar, chilli. Serve immediately.

💡 If I am cooking this for guests: mix the dressing balance in a spoon first if you are new to Thai flavours — aim for sour-salty first, sweet second, heat last.

Estimated nutrition

About 180 calories per serving (based on 2 servings). Values are estimates for home cooks and vary by brands, oil used, and portion size — not lab-analysed.

Serving ideas & leftovers

Serve hot, taste for seasoning at the table, and store leftovers in an airtight container once cool. Most of these dishes reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water, stock, or the dish’s own sauce so the texture stays kind.

This recipe is original CookMe editorial content for home cooks. Nutrition varies by brands and portions. If you have allergies, check every label. CookMe may display ads via partners such as Mediavine; see our Privacy Policy and Advertising Disclosure.