Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) pictures (1 of 5)

I know many of you must be wondering why I haven’t posted new recipes for a while. Well, I had a careless kitchen accident a couple of months ago and I’ve been taking things slow, especially in the kitchen department. The truth is I’ve been working so hard on this blog, my cookbook (have you bought a copy yet?), being a full-time mom taking care of my baby, that my mind is constantly racing with 10,000 things at a time. The accident was an awakening call that I can only do so much, and that nothing matters if something were to happen to me. So, I apologize for the lack of original recipes as of late, which I hope to make it up to you with the many holiday giveaways that I’ve lined up for you.

I had Thai Green Papaya Salad, or Som Tam during a family’s trip to Hat Yai, a border town north of the peninsula of Malaysia. My late parents, my eldest sister, aunt, and friends hired a van that drove us there for cheap shopping and Thai food feasting. All my family members love Thai food, because we have some Thai heritage in our blood. My great grandmother was born and raised in Thailand and married to a Malaysian; my grandmother could speak fluent Thai. By the small seaside town of Songkhla (close to Hat Yai), I had the first authentic Thai green papaya salad, sold by an old lady with a mobile cart, equipped only with her mortar and pestle plus the ingredients. At the first bite, I fell immediately in love. Som Tam is the epitome of the perfect blends of hot, sour, salty, and sweet—the iconic tastes of Thai cuisine. It was utterly delicious, fiery, and addictive.

When it comes to making an authentic Thai green papaya salad (Som Tam), I turned to my friend’s website at She Simmers. (She Simmers had previously shared her Thai pamelo salad recipe on Rasa Malaysia.) The only thing that I changed in her recipe is the use of grape tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes because I had some leftover.

Enjoy this colorful and flavorful Thai green papaya salad.

(Click Page 2 for the Thai Green Papaya/Som Tam Recipe)

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The Scent of Green Papaya

"Watching it is like seeing a poem for the eyes." That's how Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert described this exquisite, Oscar-nominated, French-Vietnamese film from 1993, which begins in the 1950s and ends more than a decade later during the early years of the Vietnam war. The story is set almost entirely in a Saigon house where a 10-year-old orphan girl named Mui arrives to work as a servant. As she grows into a beautiful young woman, Mui is quietly and carefully observant of everything around her, from the scent of green papaya (hence the title) to the relationship between her employers. The film takes its visual cues from Mui's observations--it's a placid, soothing film that lingers over the physical and emotional details of its setting and story.

What's really astonishing about this beautiful film is that director Anh Tran Hung shot it entirely on a soundstage in Paris, but the sights and sounds are so completely convincing that you'd swear the setting is an actual home in Saigon. This remarkable craftsmanship remains invisible to the viewer, and the seductive progression of the story unfolds with exacting visual precision. It's a film about Mui's growth and development, but also about her benevolent effect on the world around her. As such, it's a movie to savor like no other, life affirming and glorious in the memorable depth of its captivating simplicity. --Jeff Shannon

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Green Papaya Salad | <b>Asian Food</b> Recipes - Delicious <b>Asian Food</b>

Traditional Vietnamese goi du du is a simple combination of shredded green papaya, coarsely chopped basil, and strips of sweet and spicy kho bo (beef jerky) doused with a spicy soy based sauce.  While this is enjoyable it doesn’t have the complex flavors compared with other Vietnamese salads which are filled with a multitude of fresh herbs and pickled vegetables, a wonderful medley of textures and flavors topped off by crush peanuts and a spicy nuoc mam cham sauce. In this version of papaya salad, we use similar ingredients as our previous salads goi hoa sen and goi tom with one special exception: crispy anchovies.

Like croutons,  many Vietnamese goi have a crispy crunch to them, often from crushed peanuts or crispy fried shallots. Crispy anchovies however provide a totally new level of crunch and flavor. It’s an umami packed punch. This idea came from watching Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam on the Cooking Channel where he used crispy anchovies on a mango dish. If you like cooking shows, you must watch–it’s one of the best cooking shows we’ve seen.

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Goi Du Du Green Papaya Salad with Crispy Anchovies
Printable Recipe

1 green papaya roughly 1.5 lbs (or pre-shredded green papaya can be found in many Vietnamese/Thai markets)
1/2 cup pickled carrots and daikon, juices squeezed out and drained
1/2 bunch of coarsely chopped tia to (perilla/shiso)
1/2 bunch of coarsely chopped rau ram (Vietnamese coriander)
1/2 bunch of coarsely chopped mint
1/4 cup dried small to medium sized anchovies
3 tbs crushed roasted peanuts
cooking oil for frying
nuoc mam cham

In a medium sauce pan, fry the dried anchovies until just browned, remove and drain on paper towel and set aside.  Be careful not to burn the anchovies since these anchovies are small, it’s easy to overcook.

To shred a green papaya, peel the skin. You can use a special papaya peeler with serrated edges or if you don’t have that, make numerous small chops to the papaya, then shave thin slices with the peeler.

Toss shredded papaya, pickled carrots and daikon, rau ram, tia to, and mint with about 3-4 tbs nuoc mam cham sauce in a big mixing bowl. Toss in additional nuoc mam cham to taste.  For best results, allow flavors to mix for at least 15-20 minutes in in refrigerator prior to serving.  Transfer to serving plate and top with crushed peanuts and crispy anchovies and enjoy.

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