Som Tam (Thai Papaya Salad)

Papaya. Have you ever had it? It is a tropical fruit that tastes like a cross between a cantaloupe and an orange. I know, that is not a good description but that is all I could think of. There is also a second type: green papaya, which I had never had until I tried Som Tam (Thai papaya salad) for the first time. That day, I started to think of papaya in a whole different way. See, growing up I ate a lot of papaya. I would eat big chunks of papaya with a few drops of lime juice and salt or sugar. But I never thought about eating papaya in a salad, meaning with olive oil, tomato, onion, etcetera. That is, until I tried Som Tam. Who knew that papaya would make the perfect salad? So when Jen sent me a recipe to make this Thai dish, I was more than excited to try it. 

A few days later, Jen and I were in the kitchen experimenting again (I know, this blog should be called “cooking with Jen”). The recipe called for some ingredients that the “traditional” papaya salad does not have: for example basil and honey. But you know what, I would not change a thing. The combination of fish sauce, honey, olive oil and basil makes for a wonderful dressing that is sweet but sour at the same time and very refreshing. The nuts add a crunchiness that balances the mushiness of the papaya. Right now you may be wondering: “Did you say mushiness?” Yes, the salad was a bit mushy but that is because we mistakenly bought orange papaya instead of green papaya. But the salad was good. In fact, I had more than three servings of it. I say you try making this recipe this weekend. It’s really refreshing and easy to make.

Sum Tam (AKA Thai Papaya Salad) – Jen’s and Ana Paulina’s version

Note that we added more fish sauce to the salad because it wasn’t salty enough. But, I like things on the salty side. Also, note that the original recipe called for bean sprouts but we didn’t add them to recipe because for whatever reason we could not find them – and we checked three grocery stores.

Ingredients:

1/2 large orange papaya

1/2 cup cashews

1-2 cups bean sprouts

1 tomato cut into long thin strips

3 spring onions, sliced into long matchstick-like pieces

1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large

Dressing:

1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce)

2 Tbsp. good-tasting oil, such as olive

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

3 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 to 1 Tbsp. honey, to taste

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

Preparation:

1.    Prepare the dressing by mixing together all dressing ingredients together in a cup. Make sure the honey dissolves full. Set aside.

2.    Peel the papaya, then slice it in half and remove all the seeds. Using the largest grater you have, grate the papaya. Place in a strainer and drain.

3.    Add the sliced tomato, spring onion, and most of the basil. Add the dressing, tossing to combine.

4.    Add the cashews (you can either leave them whole, or roughly chop them). Toss again. Taste-test the salad. If not sweet enough, add a little more honey. If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. If too sweet or salty, add more lime juice. If you prefer it spicier, add fresh-cut chili or dried crushed chili.

5.    To serve, scoop the salad into individual bowls or onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with remaining basil leaves. Serve immediately and ENJOY!