Thai papaya salad (Som tam)

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Tanya has her own channel on KZbin! Visit her channel to learn delicious recipes!
/ tannisthaifood1
This is the first video in my Gapshida series that features a recipe from one of my readers. The first destination on my Gapshida tour was to visit Tanja Rogers in Canterbury, England.
She's been one of my readers for a long time, and she invited me to her house to share some traditional Thai recipes that she learned from her mother. For this salad she replaced papaya with swede (also known as rutabaga) because it's not easy for her to find a firm green papaya where she lives. When made with swede, this salad tastes almost the same as if it were made with papaya.
Directions:
1. Roughly crush a small handful of unsalted peanuts with mortar and pestle. Set aside. Wipe the mortar and pestle clean.
2. Melt palm sugar in a small pan at low or medium heat, adding 2 tbs of water. The cooking process should form a shiny and thick syrup. This makes it easier to mix the sugar with the salad.
3. Peel the papaya (or swede), shred it with a shredder (or a mandolin slicer) to thin stripes and soak them in cold water while you prepare the rest of the salad. This makes the papaya crunchier and gets rid of any excess starch from the swede.
4. Cut the green beans into one-inch pieces. Throw away the endings.
5. Take the chilies and peeled garlic and give them a gentle bash with mortar and pestle. You still ought to see bits and pieces, not a puree. Add the shrimps and continue bashing. Add the crushed peanuts and mix well.
6. Add the shredded papaya and continue bashing, but not too hard. Just enough so the mixture soaks up the flavours. Use a bigger table spoon as a support tool, that way you can shift the salad in the mortar and it doesn't fall out while bashing and mixing.
7. Add the liquid palm sugar, tomatoes, beans, lime juice and fish sauce. Continue to lightly bash, shift with the spoon, and mix a little more.
8. Serve on a big dish or bowl, sprinkle some crushed peanuts on top! Voila!

In Thailand it's usually served with sticky rice and along another dish called larb, a spice minced meat salad with raw vegetables.

[@amonratw7871]

When you encounter very hot weather in Thailand and no appetite. Papaya salad can help you.

[@pawitwattanakool5035]

I’m from Thailand, and I really love your recipe. There are various menus of som tam in Thailand. The dish you prepared in the video is called “Som Tam Thai (쏨땀타이; ส้มตำไทย)”, which tastes sweet and sour. I would like to recommend another dish like “Som Tam Pu Pla Ra (쏨땀뿌쁘라-라; ส้มตำปูปลาร้า)”. This is originated in Northeastern Region of Thailand (not sure). One of the differences is that Som Tam Pu Pla Ra does not require roasted peanuts and dried shrimps. It tastes less sweet but saltier. Pla Ra or fermented fish seasoning is added into the dish so that the taste is rich and fermented. I wish you had a chance to try this dish.

[@Maangchi]

Thank you for giving us this information.

[@Maangchi]

yeah, it's really easy to make. I sometimes make it with green mango. So delicious!

[@mademoisellestacyy]

I think the biggest difference between the laos tha mak hoong and som tam is the fermented fish sauce with little crabs in it, we call it badek 😊 love it!

[@Maangchi]

I often mango som tam and it's very delicious. Use green mango so that it turns out very crispy.

[@Maangchi]

Hi everybody! Thank you very much for your nice comments! Check out the written recipe, photos, and more stories about this recipe on my website. Happy cooking!

[@heavenlypurple1]

My mom is thai also, There are many different kinds of things to use to make this salad. If you don't have a mortar and pestle like she uses. You can bash the peppers, garlic, fish sauce in a plastic bag then mix it in a bowl with the papaya and other things. They also use Pla Rah which is a salty pickled fish and some also add crab. I like mine to be spicy so usally about 10 peppers but in Thailand the pepper is much hotter when I was there.

[@Maangchi]

@Tiggerroo02 I did it tonight! I made som tam with turnip and cucumber and it turned out really delicious. Tomorrow I may try out mango! I'm so happy I learned this recipe!

[@Maangchi]

yes, mango is so delicious. I often make it. Whenever I make it, I think about Tanya who taught me this delicious recipe.

[@m1zzAlee]

i'm not a big fan of papaya salad, but i still enjoy eating it :) growing up watching my mom make it, it always seemed so hard because she never used a shredder. but after learning about the shredder, that's all she uses now. good food!

[@factoryresetearth]

Wow I'm very impressed. My family is Cambodian and we make this at every barbeque and no we don't marinade meat with BBQ sauce we have it Asian style and it's really great. Meat skewers with side of papaya salad and rice.

[@eudoraevans3340]

I love it when we all share food and culture aka sharing love😊😊😍😍

[@knowhereachita1689]

Eudora Evans who

[@petchylovesunday]

ส้มตำ som tam so delicious, i am Thai people and i love you maangchi

[@thekirbyfan01]

Honestly, for those of you who complain about not being able to find more asian vegetarian recipes, adapting recipes for your lifestyle should be your own responsibility and should be applicable across all sorts of cuisine. Maangchi makes no point to be a vegetarian recipe channel, but at least she is very good at responding with alternative solutions to those who have specific preferences.

[@ZooNy607]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm great recipe i love Asian food! from Thia, Lao, Japanese, Chinese, Korean what ever i love em all!

[@gosutuan]

This is one of my fav dishes. You can totally discard the dried shrimps and replace the fish sauce with regular table salt to make this dish vegetarian. As a general rule I would mix the chilli, garlic, palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice in the mortar first so that I can taste the dressing and make adjustments. No matter how much you make, use 2 times the amount of fish sauce to the lime juice and if the dish is too spicy you can replace the chilli with a lil' cayenne pepper powder instead.

[@embracingnatural]

does she have her own cooking channel? she should-- I loved watching her!!!!

[@MrSwarup1981]

Thank you Maangchi..... Your videos are so alive and awesome.... I am an Indian, lives in New Delhi. Ethnically I prefer Bengali foods...But I like foods from other parts of the world also. KZbin is my all time teacher. I found all of your videos are so helpful to learn Korean dishes ....... I am watching each and every video of your recipes.....thank you.

[@annaleahh1144]

I am sooo excited, this is a favorite dish but I can never find green papaya. I do have a rutabaga on hand though. I've never heard it called a swede, which is perfect because it's a staple for us Swedes. I can't wait to try!!!!

[@Maangchi]

Good luck!

[@thekirbyfan01]

This is so authentic! My mom makes her papaya salad the exact same way! When green papayas aren't available, we normally just use unripe mangoes :)

[@suthinunpolasub4922]

I love this traditional original thai food ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@chileBeast]

Green Papaya is easily available here in Harrisonburg, Virginia. I never thought about using rutabaga before, and I have plenty from my garden. Free ruta's are better than the $3 papaya any day! Thanks for the vid and the new idea!

[@achyraya]

Looked delicious! I'm Thai. In my country, there are many green vegetable variations to make savory Som tam dish such as cabbage, carrots, green mango, green banana, green tamarind, or even boiled sweet corn kernels.

[@thepmala]

If you like anchovies you can try mashing those in like she did with the shrimp. Som tum is usually made with fish sauce and/or pickled mud fish. The resulting taste will be spicy, sweet and tart, and savory. Without the fish sauce it may be a little bland, so adding some salt can help :)

[@jewlsher]

My mouth is watering from this video. I love Papaya Salad! Might make some to eat this weekend. Love mine super spicy and I eat them w/ egg rolls...yum.

[@westislandkev]

I love Papaya salad, make it all the time Cambodian version, pretty much the same thing. thx for sharing, looks like you had great fun.

[@nrw0725]

I like how she had a lot of suggestions for substitutes.

[@Walaiwan702]

I'm Thai totally. But I love somtum lao more than somtum Thai :) any way, at first I thought Maangchi is going to make somtum in Korean style lol

[@nalinthipsadabjit7041]

Lol I'm Thai too And Yeah definitely thought she was gonna do a Korean version of Som tum

[@Walaiwan702]

Sawaddee kha

[@nalinthipsadabjit7041]

Sawadee kha

[@stee8573]

walaiwan kerdsati i,m pakistani who,s into thai drama,s now a days learning different cultures and sawadee kha from me too

[@Walaiwan702]

sawadee kha pakistani, i am in that stuff too, too much sometime.

[@KayehPaw02]

I am from Thailand and my mom and dad recently made it. It is so good

[@rainyd.9]

you can add some salted egg into som tam. In Thai call 'Som tam khai kem' (ส้มตำไข่เค็ม) very delicious ( >

[@hawj89]

OMG! how awesome to do something close to my root! LOVE papaya salad! i use cucumber instead of papaya sometimes! DELICIOUS!

[@me328onceuponatime]

It's one of my fav thai dish!!! It's sweet, sour and spicy... It's just delicious!!!

[@Bestie-on-tour]

Wow ..You are really very good in cooking Thai food.

[@iEGeek]

Oh, papaya salad, I loooove papaya salad. I must have this or mango salad each time I eat at a Thai restaurant.

[@arale1402]

@bobisaboy Thank you for your comment and your suggestions. I am working with what is available in my region. I cannot get the black salted crab here, but I have eaten them when I was in Bangkok. So yummie. I have never tried making it with shrimp paste - wouldn't it be more overpowering than the 2 little garlic cloves? ;-) I will give it a try as soon as summer returns. Many thanks again. -T.

[@naly3782]

Tanja, you did a great job using what you have! I will have to give it a try!

[@xobabyponiixoxo]

I'm Thai and I make this with my parents everytime I go to their house. We use carrots and it's super yummy :)

[@Ssleepyj1]

that looks delicious, and her chopstick at the end are so cool!

[@MyNew17]

Wow! I would have never thought to see this recipe on your channel! I'm Hmong and we make papaya salad all the time! =) Another substitution for papaya (if you don't have it) is carrots! I love making it with carrots 'cause it's slightly sweet. And instead of shrimp, you can just use shrimp paste!

[@reroyd]

Wow! Thai dish on Maanchi channel.

[@mykleine]

I kmew mango and Papaya Salad, but it was new to me to use Swede for that! (In Germany: Steckrübe). In Germany Swede isn't too popular, especially to the elderly generation, because it was one of the few things available during 2nd World to survive and it reminds them of that time.

[@LovelynBettison]

I never thought of using a swede to make som tam. I'll have to try that. Thanks for the great recipe.

[@MIDKNIGHTMOODZ]

I love cucumber, papaya, mango, green bean, & carrot salads! :) Omgaaah, *drools*

[@qish9405]

in malaysia we have same kind of food.. we call it kerabu.. n normally we use green mango.. the recipe might be quiet diff. but its kinda similar..

[@lliving4today]

What a great recipe and a great tip swapping the green papaya with swede!

[@Maangchi]

I often use green mangos, too. Thanks for the tip.

[@DonnaphasKlainak]

It looks delicious. Thai papaya salad is one of my favorite foods. If eaten with fried chicken (or grilled chicken) and steamed sticky rice are very good.

[@Maangchi]

@KofykatKashyap Check out my vegetarian recipes on my channel. And for this recipe, replace fish sauce with soy sauce and skip dried shrimp. Then it will be vegetarian version som tam. Many of my vegetarian readers modify my recipes to their taste. Happy cooking!

[@summerlyng3768]

저는 태국사람입니다 ㅋㅋ 외국인이 태국음식을 만들었을때 너무 귀여운데 .. 태국쏨탐 라오스쏨탐 더매워요 ~~ 요리하기 기르치줘서 너무고맙습니다 ..기회가되면 태국으로 오세요 맛있는 거 같이 하세요 ㅋㅋ 사랑합니다 이모

[@ylee70]

Wow - it looks so nice. I will definitely try it.

[@arale1402]

that's right...and if anyone is wondering what 'kao niew' is - it's the Thai word for steamed sticky rice.

[@rainsh01]

I love papaya salad. I'm Hmong so I grew up on Hmong Papaya salad. So delicious. You can make it with mango, carrot, papaya or cucumber. Love this video. Hope you will make it out to LA. I've been craving pork bone spicy soup. I'll have to make your recipe again. Thanks for sharing the video. Hope you are having a great time in London.

[@BroadenHorizons]

i love papaya salad!! my ALL TIME FAVORITE FOOD! and i would never have thought that she was half thai and german. lol. she looks nothing like either.

[@proflower555]

one of my favorite salads. best of all!!! thanks for sharing.......

[@otepmeimban]

thumbs up for chopping them manually. a good cook is determined by her confident knife skills. though i think she prefers it much thinner. hehe

[@xdreamychanx]

I luv papaya salad!!!

[@mailee0515]

I cannot live without my papaya every weekend :) So cool to have this recipe on your channel..for me, I use cucumber instead of papaya just because it's lighter on the stomach and doesn't get you as full and mine has to be VERY spicy :)

[@Thao22]

Interesting! Everyone just have their own improvised way of making a dish due to different areas they are from..This video is great!!

[@sophadeesomphit1332]

Wow i aslo like som tum too ., I'm from thailand i love to see you cooking

[@arale1402]

@rendezvous65 no, you can skip the dried shrimp and even substitute the fishsauce with a very light soy sauce (a good brand is 'Healthy Boy').

[@ExtraDenniz]

I'm Thai !!~ this video is make me hungry now !! >< there are many delicious food in Thailand !! :)

[@sch1380]

'Heeeeeeey tanja what are you going to teach us today' Maangchi you are amazing and funny

[@cutebeeparker]

I love Som Tam!

[@cissy9451]

thanks for your team work and delicious salad

[@trieuhvc-usa9340]

Good! My wife she always make the papaya sauce and so when ever we want papaya, she'll jus shred papaya, add other ingredients, and the sauce... Yummy!

[@gotrice15278]

I liked the bowl you guys put the rutabaga in. It looked like its got holes but are glazed over

[@gregstaubin4021]

WOW I live in Northern Ontario Canada and I saw your video and Now I can enjoy Som Tam here in the North. Green Papaya is hard to come by up here. Thanks so much for this. We enjoy it at least once a week. Good stuff !!!

[@Maangchi]

I'm very happy to hear that! I sometimes use firm green mango and it works really well. Happy cooking!

[@nancysurendra9619]

I am from Malaysia.Yes you can replace papaya with mango. we have lots of papa Has yet we do like it with Mango. add slightly a bit more sugar.

[@jigiesato3678]

Maangchi im vvery interested with somtam salad and white adobo because im Filipina and we love adobo

[@Tomajdafrytrix]

Som tam in czech means "i'm here" :D

[@punkgirlrock]

i love both thai and cambodian papaya salad nomnomnom

[@t0nyaxiong]

this is how i make my papaya salad too!

[@arale1402]

@naly3782 awh, thank you very much! Some also use Kolrabi, but again something I cannot find here. There are many variations to make this. Also with carrots, but I just love it this way (though I'd use a bit more chilies hahaha).

[@srainy]

i love somtam!! my mum's part thai and i grew up eating this very often, although we always buy it and never really make it ourselves xD

[@hlubTVXQ]

Tip: you can also use carrots, vermicelli longevity noodles, long beans, green mango, and cucumber...^^

[@norxcontacts]

This is one of my favorite thai dishes! It is super good, but also stinks. I highly recommend you buy it from a thai restaurant. It takes at least a half hour to make.

[@electricslider1091]

Brown fermented fish sauce also,a dipper full of lemon juice tomatoes I use carrots and or cucumbers fish sauce minced chilies long beans

[@jjksjf]

Maangchi! You are such an inspiration!

[@PhilThao]

You should come to the Hmong Flea Markets in MN! Literally every restaurant in the market serves papaya salad!

[@lifegetstoodark]

watching this makes me want to eat some even though I just had some the other day. lol

[@mars1936]

와우... 이것도 대박이네요. ^^ 망치님, 올해도 이제 끝나가고 있습니다. 지난 한 해 충분히 만족스런 한 해셨는지요? 얼마 남지 않은 2011년 잘 마무리하시고, 다가오는 2012년 새해에는 더 건강하고 아름다운 모습으로 자주 뵙기를 바라겠습니다. 올 한 해, 많은 도움과 즐거움을 받았습니다. 감사드려요. ^^ Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ^ ^ *

[@whachamamacallit4428]

Something I'm familiar with and love it!

[@arale1402]

@achyraya thank you very much ^.^ I want to try the green mango variation (if I can find green mango that is hehehe).

[@newSOUL10]

omg! i never saw a korean person making papaya salad before? this must be ur first time making it. I love eating it! i make it whenever im craving for it. u can make cucumber salad with the same ingredients as well..but it will have more juice to it from the cucumbers. u should try it someday. its good. =) but watching this video, i think we all make our papaya salads different. i don't use sugar in mines. in the end it still taste great.

[@ohahchannel2240]

I love som tam .... too. thank you ....

[@zouapayang5495]

My mouth is watering just watching this video. I want some papaya salad now. :D

[@Pitt2220]

Thai people like to eat papaya salad.😍😊 แอบมาส่องคนไทยค่ะ😁

[@Tiggerroo02]

omg! you made thai papayas salads!! those are the best! there is many different ways to make them :) you will know know the difference once you tastes different kinds of papayas salads. Whenever we don't have papayas we substitute cucumbers. It's very juicy and will bring out the flavor of the fermented fish sauce, tomatoes, and pepper. Try it out sometimes if you want :)

[@arale1402]

@shellkayee yes, you can use either Thai snake beans or just green beans. But you dont have to use them if you dont like raw beans. Enjoy!

[@serenity8910]

@YouKube Agreed! They are the most flavorful and super spicy!

[@superjunior912]

My local Asian market actually has a counter where they make it for you! ^^ yumm!

[@sindymoua]

@arale1402 for laos style they use thai chili, garlic, shrimp paste, crab paste, palm sugar, tomatoes, lime, fish sauce

[@chadnature81]

In Cambodia we call bok la hung..

[@arale1402]

@mssexxyunique This is the dish you are looking for! It is traditionally eaten with sticky rice ^^ Some people call it Som Tum Thai, or Som Dtum Thai. Thai, because this is the Thai way to make it. I think Laos people make it very differently. You can eat it with Larb Nuea (a spicy ground beef salad) or fried chicken drums or wings. Use a green papaya, if you can find it. Or make it with carrots, delicious too! Happy cooking! :)

[@TheChemistcu]

ส้มตำ(Som Tum) น่ารับประทานมาก ^ ^" น้ำลายไหลครับ Eng: That look so yummy ^ ^" My mouth starts watering

[@dorkievaj]

papaya salad is the best! and yes my mortar and pestle is also my treasure =)

[@gosutuan]

A combo zuchinis and carrots also work well to replace the papaya if it is hard to find in your area.

[@flgmojjb14]

That's really delicious!!!!! I do love it. คนไทยค่าาาา 😘😍😍

[@tofu7251]

เช่นกัน

[@jijaa2303]

เหมือนกัน

[@Pitt2220]

อร่อย😁

[@user-hu5mv6hx3k]

ชอบมากค่ะ 😘😘

[@daisystarshine]

i love thai papaya salad; makes my mouth waters. =9

[@lindakay00]

Or if you can't find papaya... use thinly shredded cucumber or green mango. Add some white rice vermicelli noodle, mix it in and it becomes a meal! You shld definatly come to MN one day and experience the Hmong flee market because the food there are phonomincal! An experience you will never forget!

[@arale1402]

@Ylokau yayyy, and if you can find salted black crab you can add it too - it's soooo yummie :D

[@kittykatt2000]

@KofykatKashyap Use salt in place of fish sauce and skip the shrimp. And you're not limited to papaya. You can use carrots, green beans, cucumbers, green mango, cabbage, and rice noodles. They all taste a little different so it's like having many different recipes. Plus you can combine the veggies like she did here. And if you omit the papaya, green beans and tomatoes you'll also have a good dipping sauce.