Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
Thai Green Papaya Salad, or Som Tam Thai, is a bright, flavorful and refreshing dish that can be ready in 20 minutes! I'm going to teach you a few simple tips for making this healthy and delicious salad that's bursting with authentic Thai flavor!
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This Thai style shredded green papaya salad (som tum or som tam) is full of fresh ingredients and has a nice crunchy texture.
The main ingredient is the green papaya, which is simply a papaya that has not yet ripened. It gets tossed with an assortment of crunchy, colorful vegetables and herbs, then tossed in a spicy, tangy dressing.
It gets topped with crunchy chopped peanuts and is truly the most delicious salad ever. I could eat this shredded papaya recipe every day!
This Thai papaya salad is so light and refreshing, it's exactly the kind of food I crave in the summer heat. Like all great Thai food, it has the perfect balance of sweet, sour, spicy and salty flavors.
With only a few simple ingredients, it packs an incredible amount of flavor! It makes a wonderful side with grilled meats, chicken and seafood.
For more great Thai cuisine flavors, try my Thai Cucumber Salad or this classic recipe for homemade Thai Green Curry.
Why This Recipe Works
- Ready in 20 minutes!
- Bright, tangy and refreshing.
- Pairs with all kinds of main dishes.
Ingredient Notes
Green papaya - You need a green, unripe papaya. You can find them at Asian grocery stores or sometimes Latin markets. The papaya should be firm and green. If you can’t find a green papaya, a green mango could also work.
Red chili flakes - I use red chili flakes instead of Thai chilies for ease. Feel free to replace with chilies if you prefer, or if you don’t like any spice, just leave them out.
Sugar - Use palm sugar, coconut sugar or lightly packed brown sugar.
Lime juice - Juice your own limes for the best flavor. Don't substitute bottled juice. You’ll need about 3 juicy limes, depending on size and juiciness.
Fish sauce - This adds a distinct umami flavor. Look for a good quality fish sauce such as Red Boat at Asian markets or online.
Tomato - Make sure your tomatoes are juicy and ripe for the best flavor. Any type of tomato will work. Cherry tomatoes may be easiest to find in off seasons.
Green beans - Chinese long beans or snake beans are typical for green papaya salad, but regular green beans work just as well and are a bit easier to find.
Peanuts - If you can’t have peanuts, use cashews, or just leave them out.
Thai Basil - This has a distinct and unique flavor, but you can substitute Italian basil or fresh mint. Do not use dried herbs in this recipe.
*Find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below!
Helpful Equipment
Mandoline with a julienne attachment - This is the easiest way to cut the papaya into long, thin pieces. You can also use a hand held julienne tool, a box grater or the grating attachment on a food processor, but it will produce a slightly different texture. You can also use a vegetable peeler with a julienne function or a box grater in a pinch.
How to make som tam thai: Step by Step Instructions
Make the Dressing
- Add the lime juice, palm sugar, fish sauce, garlic and chili flakes to a medium bowl, then whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
Shred the Papaya
- Use a julienne peeler or mandolin with a julienne attachment to create long thin strands of the papaya and carrot. If you don’t have a julienne tool, you can julienne by hand with a sharp knife, or use a box grater. The texture will be slightly different, but it still works.
Assemble the Salad
- Add the papaya and carrots to a large bowl along with the green beans, tomatoes, shallots, cilantro and Thai basil. Pour dressing over top and toss to thoroughly combine.
- Arrange salad on a platter and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Garnish with more herbs if desired.
Tips for Success
- Make it ahead by storing the peanuts, dressing and shredded papaya mixture separately and then combine right before serving.
Som Tum Serving Suggestions
Pair this easy salad with a protein like Citrus Marinted Grilled Shrimp or these simple pan seared scallops for a simple summer meal that's full of fresh flavors.
This Thai Whole Grilled Snapper makes a great main course along with Coconut Rice and Beans or another starchy side.
Serve this salad along with this Coconut Curry Noodle Soup!
Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum) FAQ
This salad is best enjoyed fresh right away, but if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Store the peanuts separately so they don’t lose their crunch.
You're probably familiar with the ripe, sweet, bright orange papayas with dark black seeds, right? A green papaya is simply an unripe version of that.
Think of it just like any other unripe fruit: before it turns tender and sweet, it's firm, green, a little starchy and not sweet at all. A green papaya has a crisp texture somewhere between a carrot and a cucumber, and a neutral flavor that doesn't taste like much of anything at all.
The easiest way to cut the papaya into long, thin pieces is to use a mandoline with a julienne attachment
In Thailand, experienced cooks use a method known as "pok pok" to chip away at the papayas with a knife to create long, thin shreds. The name comes from the sound it makes when the knife hits the papaya - pok pok pok pok! I've tried it and just can't seem to make it work, so I stick with what I know.
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Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons packed palm sugar or light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes more or less to taste
- 1 medium unripe green papaya about 1 - 1½ pounds, peeled, halved and seeded
- 1 medium carrot peeled
- 1 big handful of green beans about a dozen ends snapped off and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large tomato cut into chunks, or about 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium shallot very thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 cup Thai basil roughly chopped
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Add the lime juice, palm sugar, fish sauce, garlic and chili flakes to a medium bowl, then whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
- Use a julienne tool or mandolin with a julienne attachment to create long thin strands of the papaya and carrot. If you don’t have a julienne tool, you can julienne by hand or use a box grater. The texture will be slightly different, but it still works.
- Add the papaya and carrots to a large mixing bowl along with the green beans, tomatoes, shallots, cilantro and Thai basil. Pour dressing over top and toss to thoroughly combine.
- Arrange salad on a platter and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Garnish with more herbs if desired.
Notes
- Make sure to get a firm, green unripe papaya. You can usually only find them at the Asian grocery store.
- You can make this salad ahead by storing the peanuts, dressing and shredded papaya mixture separately.
I used a julienne tool to shred the papaya. It worked okay but it was annoying. Salad is delicious though, the dressing is perfectly balanced. Will have to experiment with different ways of shredding the papaya
Thanks Kate! Glad you enjoyed the recipe
This was really good! The trickiest part for me was shredding the papaya. Thanks for a great recipe!
SO glad you enjoyed!
I love Thai food but hadn't tried making any before. I have a handheld julienne tool and already had many of the ingredients on hand. I love the tangy dressing and the smell of Thai basil. Pleased that this was fairly simple -- no cooking or marinating required -- and tastes like it's from a Thai restaurant.. Wish I could do the pok pok method though.
So glad you loved the recipe!
This looks so yummy! Here's a recipe I think you might enjoy: Thai Style Coconut Chicken
thank you!
I crave this salad! The papayas we grow aren't always great ripe, but they all work for this. I use green mango for it, too. One day I'll video my friend Sathima doing that pok pok method. She insists on it because the shreds aren't uniform. She goes at it at every angle and then suddenly all these beautiful shreds drop into the bowl. When she's not around I shove chunks into the food processor with the cheese grater blade and think how she would be appalled.