Instructions: Sprinkle the julienned papaya with salt and let stand for half an hour or so, then squeeze and discard any fluid. Add the chili, and pound in a mortar and pestle. Add the remaining ingredients except the tomato, and pound until mixed and tender. Add the tomato, and serve with a bowl of sticky rice.

You can increase the proportion of chilis until this is a bowl of red fire, and it will still be authentic. On the other hand you can reduce the chilis to just a hint and it will also still be authentic. It all depends on your taste preference. The above 50:50 mix is about typical of the region.

If you wish you can decorate the salad with chopped roast peanuts, sliced green onions, and mint leaves. You can also include [raw] bean sprouts and sliced cucumber as side dishes. Thais generally eat lettuce or some cabbage related vegetable as a side dish also. The normal way to eat it is to rip a piece of lettuce leaf, and take a mouthful of som tam in the leaf and eat it without knife, fork or spoon. If you want to be a bit more western use a standard salad, or even an exotic such as a Waldorf Salad as a side dish.

Comments: This is a typical isan (Northeast Thailand) dish. It can be made with or without the plara (pickled mud fish). Potential cooks are warned: this ingredient smells foul but it does taste nice. Som tam is a basic "salad" style dish, eaten as a snack.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.