Passport & Plate - Som Tam
Thailand | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
A half green unripe papaya (when you cut it in half, you’ll notice the seeds are white, this means it’s good) or, if you can’t find any green papaya, 3 green apples
2 carrots
1 handful of cherry tomatoes (or a tomato cut into small pieces)
1 garlic clove
1 little red bird chilli
1 tablespoon of dried shrimps
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of brown sugar or palm sugar
1 lime
A handul of unsalted peanuts
Optional : long Chinese beans (I haven’t found any this time and have used Thai eggplant instead)
How to prepare this recipe1/ Peel the green papaya and shred it into long thin slivers. You can do it with a knife (by repeatedly chopping the surface and shaving off the pieces) or with a peeler or a food processor if you have one!
2/ Peel the carrots and shred them the same way.
3/ Roast the peanuts in a pan without any oil. Just let them color a bit to get all the flavours. Then crush them using a mortar and pestle (or krok as they call it in Thailand) or, if you don’t have one, put them in a plastic bag and beat it with anything you find :-D
4/ Empty and clean the mortar and use it to crush the chilli and the peeled garlic. Add the fish sauce, lemon juice and palm sugar, and crush as well (or add brown sugar). Make sure there are no bits left.
5/ Add half of the cherry tomatoes, the dried shrimps, and optionally the long beans cut in pieces or the eggplants cut in half. Crush the ingredients a little bit with the pestle, but not too much (leave some big pieces, just make sure the juices of all the ingredients are well mixed).
6/ Put the shredded papaya and carrots in a serving bowl. Add the content of the mortar and mix it by using the pestle and a tablespoon. Crush the salad a little bit (just to extract all the yummy juices) and make sure it’s well mixed.
7/ Finally add the remaining cherry tomatoes, the peanuts and it’s ready to serve!
The story behind this recipeThe first time my taste buds came in contact with Som Tam or green papaya salad was on a hot midday in Ayutthaya. It was still the beginning of our first ever trip to Thailand and our bodies were still desperately trying to adjust to the smothering heat of the dry season. Our cold and rainy Belgium seemed another planet as we explored this unknown corner of the world.
The heat was so heavy on me that I couldn’t picture myself eating anything warm. As we sat at a small wooden table under the shade of a thatched roof, my attention was caught by the words « papaya salad » on the menu. I pictured a juicy and refreshing fruit salad. Exactly what I needed to cool my body and quench my thirst.
A few minutes later, a smiling lady laid our order on the table, not without exclaiming enthusiastically « kop kun kaaaaaa » after we thanked her. I was surprised to spot some cherry tomatoes in my fruit salad but didn’t linger on it as I happily plunged my fork and spoon in the salad to take a mouthful of that juicy delicacy I had pictured.
It was a shock. But a delicious one. I was expecting to taste something sweet and fruity, like the « macédoines de fruits » we eat at home but there came the acidity of the lime, the fiery spiciness of the small peppers, the crunch of the grilled peanuts, the juice of the tomatoes. It was an explosion of flavors on my palate. I had frankly never figured a salad could be that exciting!
A few days later, I had the chance to prepare a Som Tam on the side of a street with the help of a street food vendor. I realized this flavorful dish was in fact very simple to make and I couldn’t wait to try it at home. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any green papaya, even at the Chinese supermarket. So I tried by replacing it with shredded green apple. The result was very nice and tasty but not as magical as in Thailand. When I decided to write this story, I went back to the Chinese supermarket and hurrah, they had some! The magic was ready to happen again…
