Thai. Starter. Served at The Inauguration (#1).

Som tum

Green papaya salad

Som tum is sour, hot, sweet and salty all at once, and pounding the garlic, chilies and dried shrimp in a mortar is what makes the dressing taste right.

Papaya wilts the moment it hits the dressing, so have every component ready in its own bowl and toss it right before you serve.

I use twelve bird's eye chilies. Adjust that to your own tolerance.

Makes
Serves 10 as a starter
Do ahead
Make the dressing, shred the papaya and crush the peanuts ahead. Dress at the last second.

Ingredients

Scale

Dressing

  • 4 tbspgarlic, roughly chopped
  • 12bird's eye chilies, roughly chopped, or fewer to taste
  • 12 tbsp (¾ cup)dried shrimp
  • 2 cupspalm sugar, grated
  • 1 cuplime juice
  • 1 cupfish sauce

Salad

  • 2 cupsroasted unsalted peanuts
  • 1.25 lbgreen beans, 2" pieces
  • 2 pintsgrape tomatoes, halved
  • 8 cupsgreen papaya, shredded and packed
  • 1 cupThai basil leaves

Method

  1. Crush the peanuts in the mortar to large pieces. Set aside.
  2. Pound the garlic and chilies to a paste. Add the dried shrimp and pound again.
  3. Stir in the palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce until the sugar dissolves. Pour the dressing into a large bowl.
  4. Bruise the green beans in the mortar. Add them to the dressing.
  5. Crush the tomatoes by hand and add them.
  6. Add the papaya and three quarters of the peanuts. Toss.
  7. Serve immediately, topped with the Thai basil and the rest of the peanuts.