Som Tam Pla Raa - Lao-style Papaya Salad
whether spicy (เผ็ด), less spicy (เผ็ดนิดหน่อย) or non-spicy (ไม่เผ็ด), it's gonna be AROYYY MAK MAK!
I’ve always been a big papaya salad eater, a som tam addict, I call myself. when I was 19, I was the given the chance to intern at a resort restaurant in Phuket as part of a culinary diploma I was studying in. that was the start of my interest in Thai cooking and I fell in love with the kinds of food my colleagues ate on a daily basis.
at one time, I was assigned to work the salad / cold section of the kitchen where I had to learn making a variety of Thai ‘yaam’ or mixed salads - Som Tam was a popular hit in the restaurant, as is in the whole of Thailand.
now if you’ve had the fortune of eating from a street-side Som Tam stall in Thailand, there are several versions that you can find - but the 2 general types are ‘Tam Thai’, using only fish sauce as the umami base & “Tam Lao” or “Som Tam Pla Raa” where fermented anchovy sauce (an unfiltered, funkier version fish sauce).
recently, I revisited my Som Tam obsession when I had the chance to relearn making it from Aunty Mai of Thai Supermarket. she taught me to make ‘Tam Moua’ which is simply a variation of Som Tam Pla Raa, with the addition of added ingredients like fresh prawns & dried shrimp. if prawns are not your thing, Tam Moua works well with squid, flower crab and even raw fish/sashimi.
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Som Tam Pla Raa (‘Tam Moua’)
(serves 2)
5 cloves baby garlic (or 2 cloves regular garlic)
1-5 chilli padi (depending on preferred spice level)
3 tbsp pla raa (fermented anchovy sauce)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp Thai palm sugar (gula Melaka or brown sugar works just as well)
1-2 limes, juiced
200g green papaya, peeled and shredded
2 long beans, cut to 2-inch pcs
1 medium Roma tomato, wedged (preferably slightly underripe)
1/4 of a carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 Japanese cucumber, diced
2 tbsp dried sakura ebi (optional)
2 tbsp roasted peanuts
4-6 prawns, peeled & deveined
boiling water, for blanching
directions:
in a saucepan, bring water to a boil. briefly blanch the prawns until fully cooked but still springy. immediately submerge into ice water to stop it from overcooking. remove from water and set aside.
to make the papaya salad, assemble a large pestle and mortar and line the bottom with a folded tea towel.
start by pounding the garlic into a paste. then, pound the chilli padi into fine chunks. add pla raa, fish sauce, MSG, sugar and lime juice. stir well to dissolve the sugar fully. taste for seasoning - if it’s spicy enough add chillies, if you prefer more sour or sweet, add more lime juice or sugar, respectively.
add in peanuts and light pound to break them. then add tomato pieces and pound to bruise them slightly.
then, add the shredded papaya & long bean. pound onto the papaya a few times with the pestle on one hand. use the other hand with a spatula to fold the papaya mixture. pound again. repeat the process until papaya is mixed through. the pounding is to tenderise the papaya & while breaking the fibres to so it can absorb the dressing more readily.
add carrot, cucumber, sakura ebi and blanched prawns. toss well. sprinkle on roasted peanuts.
serve alongside a portion of steamed sticky rice, regular rice or rice vermicelli.
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